Never too Lost
by Loopstagirl
Summary: They may have raced against the clock to bring Scott home, but has the family really been put back together? Sequel to Never too Late.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I still own absolutely nothing!**

**Well, here it is. The sequel to Never too Late. A huge, huge thank you to Silver Bee. Apparently I didn't scar her for life with my grammar during the first one, and she is very kindly beta-ing this one for me as well!**

**In case you haven't read the first, here is a quick summary. But it would make more sense if you had read it, things aren't going to necessarily be explained in depth here (it is a **_**sequel **_**after all!)**

_Summary of Never too Late: Jeff shuts himself off from the boys after his wife's death, determined that he would be able to do what is best for them by establishing himself a firm business. After refusing a deal with a potential business partner, the man kidnaps Scott, threatening to go after the others if Jeff doesn't sign the business over. Events unfold quicker than the Tracy's can keep up with them, resulting in John getting shot and Scott witnessing more than one murder. Whilst Scott is eventually rescued, is the ordeal really behind them? Or is it only the beginning?_

**Enjoy!**

Jeff found that he was not listening to a word that the man sitting opposite him was saying, instead watching the clock hanging above his head. His attention had been diverted for the last half an hour or so, knowing that it was getting to the time when he would be able to escape from his – somewhat luxurious – office and race home, picking his boys up on the way. He had only been back at work for just over a week, having taken the time off until his elder two were released from the hospital and Scott had felt ready to return to school. Jeff had to admit he had been concerned by how readily his oldest boy had begged to get back, but after speaking to the counsellor who had been assigned to the children, had agreed. It would do him good, do them _all_ good, to have a return to normality. Apparently it would help them come to terms with what had happened and allow them to move on with their lives. It was for that very reason Jeff had reluctantly agreed to return to work. He didn't particularly care that his business had just increased tenfold because of what had happened, he was more anxious about how short he could keep his hours in order to be around for the boys.

"Mr Tracy?"

"Hmm?" Blinking himself out of his musings, Jeff finally made eye contact with the man offering partnership. He hadn't been listening to a word, his thoughts being too preoccupied by his sons, but there was something in the way the man was practically sitting on the edge of his seat, his hands alternating between clenching and relaxing that gave Jeff the answer he needed.

"Please accept my apologies, but I do not feel that an alliance between our two companies would be beneficial to either of them at the present time."

"Why you-" Any pretence the man had was suddenly gone as his face morphed into one of anger. To his surprise, Jeff merely laughed at him.

"That certainly isn't going to help matters. Now, if you'll excuse me..?" Showing the man the door, Jeff gave him a few moments head start before heading out himself. If the guy had really thought showing an angry front would make Jeff change his mind, he certainly had something else coming. Compared to the last business meeting Jeff had sat in, this guy had a long way to go. Glancing up at the clock once more, Jeff sighed, shaking his head. He never thought the day would have come when he was like a schoolboy waiting for the bell, but that was indeed what he was doing. As the minute hand clicked over one more time, Jeff all but sprinted from the office.

"Are you off, Mr Tracy?" Spinning on the spot, half way through his mad dash, Jeff grinned ruefully at the amused expression on his secretary's face. He didn't know what he would have done without her over the last couple of weeks. After having watched her boss work himself into the ground and then fall apart on finding out what had happened to his son, Nicole was more than prepared to keep things ticking over whilst normality returned to the Tracy household. She had worked under Jeff for a long time, long before his wife's death. She knew that he would get there, and although she hadn't seen the boys for a few years, knew that they followed closely in their father's footsteps. They too would overcome what had happened and be even stronger for it. It was just a matter of time.

"Yep, sorry, Nicole. I need to beat the traffic. Gordon may not forgive me if I make him wait again. I got caught yesterday, and you should have seen the reaction that came from it."

"Talking about Gordon," Nicole began hesitantly, not wanting to have to tell her boss this, but knowing that she had no choice. "The school was on the phone again earlier when you were in the meeting."

"Another fight?" Jeff sighed, rubbing his hand over his eyes wearily. He was losing track of how many this made.

"'Fraid so."

"Right, I better dash. See you tomorrow, Nicole." Not waiting to hear her response, Jeff sprinted from the building, almost stalling the car in his haste to pull out of the parking lot. Gordon had only been back at school for just over a week himself, the counsellor suggesting that Jeff kept all the boys together whilst Scott and John recovered physically from the ordeal. But even in that short space of time, Gordon must have lashed out at least half a dozen times, the smallest and most innocent of comments making what had previously been his most laidback son react violently. He wouldn't even tell Jeff what was being said, but his father had a good enough idea. Virgil was coming home with the same sort of stories; the smallest of comments about something going missing was provoking a reaction in the boys. Luckily, for the sake of Jeff's sanity if nothing else, the artist had a better sense of control over his temper than his immediate younger brother. Apart from a scuffle on the very first day back, his little musician had managed rather well, although Jeff had a feeling that Brian Samson's timely arrival may have had something to do with that.

Swerving out into the traffic, Jeff cursed under his breath when he caught sight of the volume of it that was littering the roads. He couldn't face another reaction like yesterday's. There had been an accident on the road, causing a major traffic jam. Despite having phoned the school to tell them what had happened and that he was going to be late, Jeff had not expected the reaction that had erupted from his second youngest son. He could practically hear the screams even before he got out of the car, and on racing into the school, found three teachers trying to calm a hysterical Gordon, who had been adamant that his father had disappeared and left him. It had taken a while for Jeff to calm his son down, and then it had ended up with him being in a strange mood for the rest of the day because he had been so exhausted from his outburst. Jeff had been hoping that, fights aside, Gordon had been coping reasonably well - at least he was escaping the nightmares that were disrupting his older brothers' sleep - but now he was not so sure. The seven year old clearly had a long way to go.

Luckily, despite the volume, the traffic was moving steadily, and Jeff eventually relaxed into his seat, knowing that he was making good time and there would be no need to have a repeat performance. With the older three still insisting that they got the bus home, all Jeff had to do was pick up Gordon, swing by the nursery to collect Alan and he would arrive home at the same time as the rest of the family. It was an arrangement that was working well, but Jeff couldn't help but feel there was something forced about it, something that was false. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he was sure that it wasn't going to go this smoothly for long: yesterday had proven that to him.

Before long, Jeff was pulling into the school's parking lot. Locking the car behind him, he tried to ignore the gossiping mothers as he moved past them, disregarding their piercing stares. Everyone seemed to have some idea of what had happened, despite the police keeping everything quiet. He had received Matt's word on that: no names would be mentioned in order to give the boys some sense of security. But knowing what schools were like, Jeff knew for a fact that both here and with his older boys, everyone had somehow found out. Although he should have known that was coming - sending John back into school with his arm still in a sling was bound to provoke some questions.

Moving past all the children spilling eagerly out of the doors, Jeff waited for a moment until the mad rush had ended before entering the building. It was agreed from the moment that Jeff had allowed his son to return to school that they would keep him inside at the end of the day - for a few weeks at least -until Gordon was more comfortable around strangers. The corridor he was now purposefully striding down was a route that was fast becoming familiar to the father, and sure enough, he soon came to a stop outside a partly open door. Knocking softly, Jeff poked his head around just as Gordon looked up.

"Dad!" The shout practically deafened Jeff. He had no time to react before Gordon had thrown himself at his father, hugging Jeff's midriff fiercely and almost driving the breath out of him.

"Whoa, fish, let your old man breathe!"

"Sorry, Dad," Gordon responded sheepishly, stepping back slightly and glancing up at his father. Immediately frowning, Jeff caught Gordon's chin in his hand, turning the boy's head towards the light to admire the split lip and the slight bruise around his left eye more clearly.

"What happened this time?" Jeff sighed, letting go and pulling out the nearest chair, perching on the edge so that he was at eye level with his son. Scuffing his feet, Gordon suddenly found the floor very interesting, and uncharacteristically for him, didn't seem to have anything to say.

"Gordon." Jeff said warningly, catching the teacher's eye. He knew that she expected him to sort things out before they left here, it was her way of making sure that problems were dealt with. Jeff couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Whilst it was a great principle for the children with parents who didn't care what they got up to, when considering the circumstances that had led to Gordon being involved in the fights, Jeff would have preferred to do this at home, giving his son the chance to break down if he should need to. He knew full well that Gordon would keep everything bottled up whilst there was someone else in the room.

"I'm not going to ask again, Gordon. What happened?"

"S'not my fault!" Gordon suddenly yelled, stalking away from his father and staring out of the window. Sensing the teacher about to open her mouth to admonish his son for his tone of voice, Jeff shook his head. He knew what the tone meant. It meant that Gordon was letting down his defences, letting people in. It was how he always managed to appear cheerful, he simply hid how he was really feeling. If she said anything now, he would simply close back up again and Jeff knew that it wouldn't matter what he did or said, he wouldn't be able to get the full story out of his son.

"What wasn't your fault, son?" Jeff prompted, his voice far gentler now that he knew he was getting through to Gordon.

"It was Jimmy Hanks' fault. He was saying stuff about wanting..." Swallowing hard, Gordon broke off his sentence, turning back to face his father. Biting his lip, Gordon couldn't deny the tears swimming in his eyes.

"Wanting what, Gords?" Jeff asked, his voice getting even softer. He had a horrible feeling he knew where this was going, and it was not going to make it easier to deal with.

"He said he wanted his big brother to disappear because he was annoying."

"So you hit him?" Jeff said quietly. Whilst he could tell how much this was affecting his son, part of the reason behind letting them all return to school was to return to normality. And whilst at this moment in time, Jeff just wanted to hug his son and tell him everything was going to be alright, he knew that everyone was expecting him to drive home how wrong the fighting was. Mutely shaking his head, Gordon glanced away again, not wanting his dad to see the tears spill over.

"I told him he shouldn't want that. And then..." his breath hitching slightly, Gordon paused again. Standing up, Jeff crossed the room, running his hands down Gordon's arms as he crouched down in front of his child. Holding Gordon's hands in his own, Jeff gently brushed away a few tears.

"And then?"

Taking a deep breath, Gordon looked his father directly in the eye, his voice remarkably steady.

"And then he said I was an idiot for wanting mine back and that it was babyish." His voice cracking again, Gordon glanced away. "And that's when I hit him. But he hit me back, Daddy."

"Gordon, that doesn't make it right." Jeff gently admonished. "You should have walked away, son, you know that. We talked about this the other day."

"I know," Gordon responded miserably, going back to examining his feet. "I was just so angry at him. He has no idea, Dad."

"No, Gordon, he doesn't. And with any luck, he never will. Next time something like this happens, I want you to promise me something, fish."

As Gordon somewhat glumly nodded, Jeff reached out and ruffled his hair.

"I want you to take a deep breath and count to ten, the way Mr Samson taught Virgil. And then I want you to turn around, and walk off. If you are really angry, go and find a teacher. Can you do that for me, Gords? Can you be grown up and walk away?"

Hoping that his words were not falling on deaf ears, Jeff smiled gently as Gordon nodded, swallowing the last of his tears and looking up again.

"Atta boy. Now, can you just wait in the corridor whilst I have a word with your teacher?" Subconsciously tensing as Gordon glanced anxiously towards the door before looking back at his father, Jeff couldn't stop a rush of relief as he nodded, crossing the room and shutting the door behind him. Standing upright, Jeff quickly found himself perched on the edge of the nearest desk, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"Is there any way you can stop them making comments?" he asked quietly. "The only reason he is lashing out is because they are making him afraid of losing Scott again. You saw how he reacted yesterday when I was late, he is terrified of being left. It was the first nightmare he had, that first night Scott was missing, being left on his own. If they don't say anything, he won't react."

"I thought it would have been something like this that sparked him off," the young woman admitted, causing Jeff to look up at her in surprise.

"You didn't know what caused it?"

"Jimmy came running in saying that Gordon had hit him, and when we tried to ask Gordon what had happened, he wouldn't say anything. At all. That's why we needed you to deal with it here. We needed to know what happened. I'm planning on ringing Jimmy's mother tonight; hopefully she will be able to stop him. How is he coping at home, Mr Tracy?"

"Better than at school, apparently," Jeff muttered, glancing out the door as he spoke. Gordon was leaning against the opposite wall, looking as sullen as only a seven year old could manage. "He's escaped mainly the nightmares, apart from that one, which is more than can be said for the others. He is extremely clingy around his two oldest brothers, and quiet, but apart from that, he isn't doing badly."

For a moment, silence fell as both of the adults in the room contemplated ways they could help Gordon get back to his usual bubbly self. When no solution sprang to mind, Jeff stood up.

"I better be off. See you tomorrow, I suppose."

"I highly doubt that, Mr Tracy," the young teacher said with a laugh, turning away and shuffling some of the papers on her desk. At Jeff's confused look, she laughed again.

"It's Saturday tomorrow."

"Oh." Jeff blinked, unable to believe quite how much he had lost track of the days of the week. Everything seemed so chaotic lately. It was proving more confusing trying to return to normality than when the days were spent in a hard wooden chair in between two hospital beds.

Exiting the room, he offered his hand to his son without a word, causing Gordon to latch on. Father and son walked out of the building in silence, but as Jeff opened the car door for Gordon, the young child looked up at his father.

"Are you angry, Daddy?" he asked quietly, his voice trembling slightly. Once more bending down so he was on the same level as the child, Jeff softly shook his head.

"Not angry, no. I'm disappointed that you didn't do what you promised you would do when we spoke about this the other day, Gordon. You have to promise me that you will try your hardest this time."

"I promise, Daddy." Gordon whispered, suddenly flinging his arms around his father's neck and burying his face in Jeff's shoulder. Returning the hug, Jeff tried to pour his love into the simple motion.

"Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too, Daddy."

Lifting Gordon up, Jeff placed him on the seat, smiling with pride as Gordon immediately pulled himself together and strapped himself in. With a quick double check to make sure it was fastened properly, Jeff shut the door before climbing in himself. Flicking the car into gear, he sighed deeply, hoping that Alan's pick up was going to run slightly smoother than Gordon's.

Luckily, the traffic was on Jeff's side, and in no time at all, he was pulling into another familiar place. Gordon had decided that he wanted to come in too rather than waiting in the car, but Jeff had a feeling that his son was hoping that another father was going to turn up at the nursery, although he would never say anything. Letting him go in first, Jeff grinned ruefully at the look on Miss Starle's face when she caught sight of the bruise on Gordon's.

"Before you say anything, yep, another one."

"They'll get there," she said with a small smile, but before anything more could be said, Jeff's youngest son came running into view, almost tripping over the strap on his bag. To Jeff's delight, he had a big smile on his face at seeing his father. On Alan's first day back, it had all but broken Jeff's heart to see his baby looking out for Scott, calling for his brother when he saw it was his father picking him up. But now the youngster had more than accepted having his father back, and, as Jeff swung him into his arms, the delighted giggle made that more than apparent.

"Hey, Allie."

"Daddy," Alan giggled, nestling into his father's arms and wrapping his own around his dad's neck and nuzzling into his shoulder in the exact same way his older brother had done not twenty minutes ago.

"Tracy." Hearing his name, Jeff twisted his head awkwardly over the shoulder that did not contain a toddler, a smile immediately jumping onto his face as he caught sight of the man who had helped his family.

"Brian."

"Mr Samson!" Gordon suddenly squealed excitedly, his eyes shining and making his father's smile widen. Ever since the events at the hospital, the child had practically worshipped the teacher, already telling his father just how excited he would be when he could get into "big" school and be able to take gym with the sports coach.

"Hey buddy," Brian smiled down at Gordon, winking at the apologetic look that Jeff sent him. "That's a good ole' bruise you got there, mate."

"S'not my fault," Gordon muttered darkly, causing his father to roll his eyes.

"Come on, fish, time we got your brother home." As Gordon nodded, a much happier expression crossing his face as he scampered for the door, Jeff felt his own expression turn more serious.

"Anything?"

"Nope, pretty good day for all three. Scott still isn't saying much, but Virgil managed to walk away from a situation that could have ended up with him having a bruise to rival Gordon's. They're getting there, Jeff."

"I hope so," Jeff muttered, tightening his grip on Alan. Seeing Gordon watching him impatiently, Jeff nodded to Brian before following his son out of the door. All in all, he would be more than glad when he got home.

TBTBTB

A good half an hour later and Jeff had finally managed to change out of his suit and was crashed out on the sofa, a coffee in his hand. He knew he would need the caffeine to get through the next few hours; the boys weren't the only ones that were suffering from nightmares. In the small amounts of rest he managed to catch between soothing frightened sons back to sleep, Jeff too was plagued with visions. More often than not, it was Scott about to be shot, his father arriving a second too late, but more than once he'd found himself reliving walking in on the men attempting to take Virgil, or being forced to listen to the gun going off and John's scream as the bullet hit him. Shuddering slightly, Jeff glanced down at his feet, smiling gently at seeing Alan playing so contently. The toddler was more confused than anything else, not being able to understand why the rest of the family were so on edge. Jeff had tried to protect him as much as he could, making sure he was out of the room whenever they were talking about what had happened or when one of the boys broke down, but he knew that Alan was more aware of what was happening than his father gave him credit for.

Hearing the door burst open rather violently, Jeff set his mug down with a sigh. He knew what that meant. At least one of the three remaining sons that had yet to make it home was not in a good mood.

"I don't need my kid brother fighting my battles for me!"

"He had no right saying that!"

"And you had no right reacting the way you did, Virgil, it wasn't you he said it to!"

Hauling himself off the sofa, Jeff made it out into the corridor just in time to see a livid John try to stalk up the stairs. Clearing his throat meaningfully, Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"Just one moment, John Tracy." Waiting until John had reached the bottom of the stairs again, Jeff looked pointedly between the furious blond and his brunette brother. Virgil looked a mixture of angry and upset, although Jeff knew that it was probably more to do with John's reaction to whatever it was that had happened rather than the actual incident. When the boys stayed silent, Jeff sighed again.

"Are either of you going to explain yourselves, or do I have to stand here all night?"

As John fidgeted uncomfortably with his sling, Jeff knew he would not be able to get an answer out of that son. When John decided that he didn't want to talk about something, nothing or no one would make him talk.

"Virgil?" Virgil glanced at his father, then at John before switching his gaze back to Jeff again. At his father's look, he glanced down, knowing that John wasn't going to say anything, but that he wouldn't be able to get away with not saying anything.

"Some creep on the bus wouldn't move out the way, and when John asked him to move he turned around and called him a cripple."

"And what was it you did, Virgil?" This time, however, it was his middle son that refused to give Jeff an answer, instead mirroring Gordon's earlier actions and studying the floor. Flicking his gaze back to John, Jeff managed to catch his son's eye, an unspoken message darting out that demanded an answer in such a way that John knew better than to refuse.

"He tried to deck the guy. He was at least three times your size, Virg, he is in Scott's year."

"It was better than just standing there taking it like you did!" Virgil yelled back, anger spiralling out of his overly bright eyes.

"There is a difference between taking it and being an idiot!" John responded, his voice also growing louder. Feeling a small hand clutch at his leg, Jeff glanced down to see that Alan had come to see what all the noise was about, his eyes wide as he glanced between his fighting brothers. Bending down, Jeff picked him up, hoisting him into a secure position in his arms.

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Enough!" His tone more forceful than either of the boys' angry voices, Jeff immediately brought silence into the hallway. One glance up the stairs showed that Gordon had reappeared, also coming to investigate the noise. Turning his attention towards his middle son, Jeff groaned at the look on the eleven year-old's face. This was not going to be an easy conversation.

"Virgil, John is right, son. We've had this conversation; you shouldn't simply lash out at people."

"But Dad, he had no right saying that!"

"No, Virgil, he didn't. But if you react like that, what makes you any better? I know you were trying to help Johnny, and that is good, son. But fighting is not the way to do it."

Glancing up the stairs as he spoke the last few words, Jeff also managed to catch Gordon's eye at the same time, the message hopefully going out to both of them. Unfortunately, whilst Gordon nodded somewhat seriously, Virgil all but exploded.

"Of course John's right, John's _always_ right. It's never him that does anything wrong, everything is always my fault!"

"Virgil!" Before Jeff could say anything else, however, his middle son took off up the stairs, almost flattening Gordon in the process and causing him to let out a slightly startled yelp. Slowly making his way down the stairs, Gordon came to a stop next to John, slipping his hand into his big brother's free one.

"I'll pro'ect you, Johnny." John looked like he wanted to once more complain about not needing his younger brothers looking out for him, but found the words caught in his throat when he glanced down at the redhead. Gordon's eyes were wide and innocent, only the utmost sincerity reflected within them as he tried to make things better for his brother.

"Thanks, Gords," he muttered softly, giving the smaller boy a one armed hug before brushing past his father and collapsing onto the sofa, letting out a long breath as he did so. Following him in, Jeff placed Alan back on the floor, giving the blond locks a quick ruffle before sitting down next to the elder of his blonds.

"How's the pain, John?"

"Why don't you ask him, he is upstairs sulking," John responded bitterly, his tone showing just how exhausted the teenager was. Last night had been a particularly hard one for John. Not only had the usual nightmare awoken him, but he had managed to shift into a bad position for his arm and caused his shoulder to flare up, meaning Jeff had spent most of the night in his room, trying to soothe his son the best he could, his heart clenching when he realised there was actually very little he could do to help.

"John, that was uncalled for. You know that he was only trying to help, even if he didn't go about it in the right way."

"Yeah, because that is precisely what I need, everyone thinking that I need my little brother's help."

"John, that's enough!" Jeff said sharply. His sons weren't the only ones who were tired, and considering all of the messes he had been trying to sort out since leaving work, Jeff had had enough. Luckily, John caught onto his father's tone and backed down, shutting his eyes and sagging into the cushions instead.

Shaking his head with a sense of sadness, Jeff picked up his mug and made to head back to the kitchen for a refill. The kidnap had torn the family apart in more ways than one. The boys didn't know how to react to each other anymore. There was this burning desire in each of them, especially the older three, and even to some extent, Gordon, to protect each other. Yet at the same time, they didn't seem to want the others to know, seeing it as a weakness that they were all afraid of being on their own. This was not the first time there had been a clash between John and Virgil. Gordon somehow seemed to undermine both of their defences and make them melt, no matter how annoyed at him they had been, and Scott simply wasn't reacting.

Thinking about his oldest son, Jeff suddenly gasped, slamming his mug down on the worktop and all but sprinting into the lounge to find that Gordon had joined in with Alan's game, John opening his eyes sleepily to watch his two little brothers. But John himself was still a little brother, and that was what had his father so frantic.

"John, where's Scott?"

**More coming soon! Let me know what you thought?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all of those lovely reviews, it really means a lot. Special thank you to Whirlgirl and Sunny - and a big congratulations to the latter!**

**Should I be offended with how little any of you trust me when it comes to Scott? hee hee! Hope you enjoy the 2nd chapter!**

As John merely blinked at his father, Jeff felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. After all the things that had taken place in the last hour or so, Jeff didn't know how John could be so calm.

"John! Scott? Where is he?"

His eyes flickering towards his two youngest brothers momentarily, John sighed deeply, suddenly looking a lot older than his fourteen years, making Jeff immediately regret his tone. The boy had been through enough, and was relying on Jeff to make things better, not give in to his worry.

"He said he wanted to walk home."

"He what?" Practically exploding, Jeff stared down at his second born, desperately hoping that he had heard wrong. "John, it's got to be about five miles!"

"I _know_, Dad! Take it out on him, not me. He got on the bus with us, but it was really crowded. You know what he is like in crowds at the moment, the feeling of not being able to move around that much. He muttered something about wanting to walk and then the stuff with Virg and the guy kicked off and by the time that had calmed down, the bus had started moving and Scott had got off."

"How could he be so thoughtless?" Jeff muttered, crossing the lounge as he did so and snatching his coat up from where he had thrown it not even an hour ago. If he had known the chaos he would be sorting out when he left the office, Jeff couldn't help but wonder whether he might have stayed there. The last few days had been relatively calm in comparison to the storm that had hit the family beforehand and Jeff had been hoping beyond hope that things were beginning to move on. Two fights and a stubborn son later and he was beginning to change his mind.

"I don't think he does think anymore, Dad," John responded quietly, a saddened look coming into his eyes as he thought about his older brother. Pausing on his way out, Jeff looped his arm around his son's shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. He too knew how much it hurt to have Scott completely shut off from them, almost as if he was working on autopilot rather than being the son and brother that they all loved. Jeff had tried to get the counsellor to do something about it, but, after a handful of sessions, she had regretfully reported that she was unable to get through to the teenager and that Scott wasn't willing to accept the help. She had said he needed to come to terms with what had happened himself before anyone would be able to help him, but Jeff was simply growing more and more concerned by the day.

"You gonna be okay minding the horde for a few moments, Johnny?"

"Just go and find him, Dad," John said simply, a message deeper than his words being sent to his father. Nodding his understanding, Jeff left the lounge, pausing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Virgil!"

"What?" For once ignoring the sullenness in the tone, Jeff pulled on his shoes even as he addressed his son.

"I've got to pop out for a few moments. Be good for John."

"Whatever." Knowing that he was not going to get anything closer to an agreement out of his middle son, Jeff shook his head, opening the door and disappearing outside once more. It wasn't only Scott who was shutting himself off: Jeff had noticed that Virgil was slowly withdrawing into himself too. His father made sure he tried to give all of his sons as much attention as he could, but considering he was normally running around trying to stop one of them having a panic attack, he had no control over who got him when. What was concerning him was that Virgil had shut his door over the last couple of nights, making it much harder for Jeff to hear when his son needed him. And what made it worse was that he knew precisely why he was doing it as well. He didn't want to wake up either Gordon or Alan. But there was more to it than that. Scott didn't seem to be having the nightmares, and in Virgil's eyes, that made him a failure: he couldn't be strong like his big brother, and so was trying to hide the evidence from the rest of the family. What the young child didn't know, however, was that the reason Scott was not having the nightmares was that he didn't stay asleep for long enough. The few times Jeff had managed to get him to drop off, his oldest son would be awake barely ten minutes later, heart racing and breathing frantic. And as much as Jeff would have done anything to simply sit with Scott all night, to help his son get the rest his body craved, the cries coming from both John and Virgil called him away.

"Where are you, Scotty?" Jeff whispered to himself, his eyes darting around the sidewalks as he drove. Thankfully, with the school rush being over, the roads were reasonably quiet, allowing Jeff to crawl along at a slow pace whilst he searched for his son. He had tried to get his sons to let him pick them up after school anyway, but had accepted their arguments with the hope that it would help them regain some of their previous confidence. Now, however, he was changing his mind, wondering how he could force them to accept the lift without a full scale argument emerging. He couldn't go each day wondering whether Scott was going to walk in with his brothers or not.

Jeff had been cruising along for a good ten minutes, following the only route he could think that Scott would have taken and desperately hoping that there weren't any shortcuts or alleyways that his son knew about that he didn't. Seeing a lone figure in the distance, Jeff momentarily touched the gas, allowing the car to speed up slightly to bring him closer to the figure before easing back off again. Squinting slightly in a vain attempt to distinguish whether he was looking at his son or scaring a complete stranger, Jeff visibly jumped at the sound of sirens in the distance, cursing himself for not paying better attention to the road. What it did do, however, was confirm the identity of the walker.

If Jeff thought he had jumped at the noise, it was nothing compared to what Scott did. Immediately coming to a stop, the youth shakily reached out a hand, leaning gratefully on a nearby tree, thankful for the support. As Jeff cruised even closer, he could quickly tell that his son was worryingly pale, making him wonder whether he would even still be standing if it wasn't for the tree. Coming to a stop next to him, Jeff slammed on the brakes and was out of the car almost before the vehicle had stopped.

"Scotty?" As he slowly approached, making sure that Scott recognised him before he did anything rash, Jeff swallowed hard at the state of his son. They couldn't keep going on like this that was for sure. He could tell just by looking at Scott that if the siren had been any closer, his boy would have passed out.

"Scott, it's me." Reaching out to him, Jeff kept his distance. The first few days had taught him enough to know that Scott needed to have registered his presence before he did anything, something that was now taking him longer than it used to. It was as if his brain took a few moments to catch up, panic filling the gap for those few seconds.

"Dad?" Turning around, Scott eventually faced his father, reaching out with one hand as he did so, grasping onto his father's arm almost as if to make sure that the man was really there.

"It's me, son. I'm here." Knowing that any anger at Scott's foolhardiness in walking home would have to wait until the teenager was slightly more responsive, Jeff watched him closely, knowing by the way the grip on his arm suddenly tightened what was about to happen. Diving forward, he caught Scott around the waist as the boy's knees gave way, gently lowering him to the ground and sitting down himself, not moving his arms. For a moment, no one moved or said anything, Jeff happy to sit there for as long as it took Scott to pull himself together. They were returning to the hospital tomorrow morning, whether Scott liked it or not. Who knew what could have happened if Jeff hadn't managed to find him in time. Eventually though, Scott seemed to come out of his daze.

"There was no room, Dad," he whispered, his voice barely audible, yet Jeff caught every word. This was the first time Scott had volunteered information on his own, something that his father was sure he should feel thankful for.

"I couldn't move. John and Virgil had been swallowed by the crowd, and I couldn't get to them." As Scott's breathing picked up pace a little, Jeff pulled his legs out from under him, navigating the pair of them into a more comfortable position as he gently stroked Scott's hair back from his forehead, waiting to see if Scott would – or even could – continue.

"I just froze. It was like I could feel...feel...it."

Frowning, Jeff was at a loss at what the "it" was until he noticed Scott subconsciously rubbing at his left wrist. Capturing his son's hand in his own, Jeff quickly stilled the motion, now being more than sure that _it _was the manacle that had held his son prisoner.

"It's over, Scott. You'll never feel it again."

"Then why couldn't I get to them, Dad?"

His heart wrenching at the pleading note in Scott's voice, Jeff tightened his grip.

"Some big brother I am, I couldn't reach them. Even when Virgil looked like he was going for Harry Spencer, I just couldn't do it. Before I knew what I was doing, I had jumped off the bus."

"Scott, it's going to take time, son."

"I've given it bloody time!" Scott suddenly yelled, the feeling of helplessness bursting out of him. "It's been over a month, Dad. And I still see _him _every time I close my eyes; feel his hands around my throat, telling me he is never letting me go. He got that bit right. I'm as much his prisoner now as I was then!"

"Scott, why has it taken you this long to tell me?"

"The others need you more than me at the moment."

"And what makes you think that?" Jeff asked, eyebrows raised in incredulity at how his son could have gained such a notion. He had been trying to give the boys equal amounts of his time, but now Jeff was suddenly worried that he hadn't been paying his eldest enough attention, _again. _He had made it up to the rest of them for not being around, John being the hardest to get to properly forgive him. But he had been unable to get a reaction out of Scott about the promised trips out when school ended. He felt like he was losing his son all over again, and this time, it was with Scott standing right in front of him.

"I hear them, Dad. John and Virg especially, although Gords still cries out now and again. They need you to tell them it is all going to be alright."

"And you don't?"

"That's what they have to think."

"Damnit, Scott!" Jeff suddenly exclaimed, hurt by the toneless sound to his son's voice. Was he really that prepared to try to save his little brothers that he would sacrifice the help he so desperately needed in order to just make it seem like he was still the same big brother? The fact that they were sitting on some sidewalk, half way between home and the school was answer enough to that.

"You need to give them more credit, son. You think shutting yourself away is making them think that you are dealing with it? In fact, Scott, the very opposite is happening. You never drew away from them before, even after your mother's death. You've always been there to catch them when they fall, until now. You have to let them catch you for a change."

"I can't, Dad." Scott all but whispered, unshed tears restricting his voice. "They don't know what it's like. I can't put them through it."

Opening his mouth to respond, Jeff paused when he heard the sound of another car heading their way. Pulling Scott to his feet, he picked up his son's bag and led him over to the car. They couldn't simply sit out here all evening, especially as the car was causing a restriction on the road. As Scott silently got in, Jeff swung himself into the driver's seat, pulling at his phone as he did so. Hitting the quick dial button, it only took a few rings before John picked up.

"Dad? Is that you? Did you find him? Is he alright?"

"Whoa, star gazer, slow down. Yes, I've got him, and yes, he is fine." Sparing Scott a glance as he spoke, Jeff inwardly winced. That last part was a bit of a lie, but John didn't need to know that. "Johnny, we're going to be a little longer, is everything alright there?"

"Dad, just bring him back." And with that, John hung up. With a slight smile, Jeff knew immediately that his second born didn't mean physically bring Scott home. No, John just wanted his big brother back. With a quick check to make sure Scott was strapped in, Jeff started the engine. But instead of turning around, he kept going, knowing that it was about time Scott got everything out in the open. The pair of them drove a short distance in silence, Scott staring out of the window in order to avoid the searching looks his father kept giving him. Eventually, Jeff could take it no more, and, swinging the car into a side road, parked up before turning to face his son.

"Explain."

"Explain what?" Scott muttered, still refusing to look his father in the eye.

"Explain why on earth you don't think they could cope with it. What's so much worse than being shot? What's so much worse than having the same people try to take you away with them twice?"

"You don't get it. I knew he was winning, that I was as good as dead. That you wouldn't be able to find me in time, and yet there was nothing I could do to stop them going after the others."

"So being stuck in a hospital room whilst knowing that the same murderous lunatics that put you there has your brother and that there is absolutely nothing you can do because you don't know where the hell he is doesn't provide a sense of hopelessness?"

"Dad..."

"No, Scott, listen to me. It is you that don't understand. Yes, you have been through absolute hell, we know that. And yes, it is going to take you some time to adjust back to normality, these things don't just happen. But they also went through hell, Scotty. And right now, it is their big brother they need to tell them that it is going to be okay - that _he_ is going to be okay - not me. What do you think they dream about? The things that happened to them? Occasionally. But mostly it is about what could have been happening to you whilst they couldn't find you."

"Dad, I..."

"I know, Scotty, I know." Slipping off his seatbelt, Jeff leant over, pulling his son into a crushing embrace. Scott was trembling beneath his touch, and after a few seconds, something seemed to crack in the boy. Since his first breakdown in the hospital, Scott had kept everything bottled up, although it was only now that Jeff was realising quite how much. Something about this afternoon's events had done something to him though, and before Jeff was quite prepared for it, Scott practically collapsed onto his father, only being held up by the seatbelt as he sobbed.

"I'm sorry," he eventually managed to splutter, barely able to catch his breath amidst the tears. Holding him tight, Jeff was finding that it was taking all of his self control not to break down himself, but he knew that this time, it was his eldest son who needed him to be strong and tell him that everything was going to be alright. Gently murmuring soothing nonsense into his son's ear in a vain attempt to try and calm him down, Jeff couldn't help but wonder whether this was the turning point Scott had been seeking for over a month. Even the nurses had commented on how quickly he pulled himself together after everything that had happened, but Jeff knew differently. He knew it was just the front Scott had put on in an attempt to make it seem like he was fine, whilst inside he was just as terrified as he had ever been. But now, now that front had cracked and he had let his father know precisely how he was feeling, Jeff could only hope and pray that this was the start of a new beginning for the family.

It must have been almost an hour after Jeff had set off to find his son that the family car eventually pulled back into the driveway. Giving his son an encouraging and what he hoped was a reassuring look, Jeff slowly climbed out, reaching into the back to grab Scott's bag. Hesitantly, Scott also stepped out of the car, but as the pair approached the door, he hung back.

"What do you expect them to do, Scott?" Jeff asked, sounding slightly bemused as he glanced at his son over his shoulder and saw the youth almost backing out of the drive.

"What if it freaks them out?"

"What's that? Seeing that their big brother has returned to them and is willing to let them in, willing to let them help him?" Smiling gently, Jeff beckoned him forward as he opened the door, although his attention was immediately diverted by the sound of sobs coming from the lounge. Dropping Scott's bag onto the floor, Jeff sped in, wondering what on earth could be going wrong this time. Given the attitudes he had left the boys with, one thing Jeff was not expecting to walk in on was Virgil curled up to John, tears running down his face.

"Hey!" Crossing the lounge quickly, Jeff crouched down in front of the boys, resting his hands on Virgil's knees. "Hey, hey, hey, come on, buddy. What's wrong?"

"S'my fault!" Virgil practically yelled, causing John to tighten the arm he had looped across his brother's shoulders. When his middle son didn't say anything else, Jeff instead looked towards his older brother, hoping that John would have been able to get some answers out of him before the tears had started.

"He still blames himself for them getting Scott," John said quietly, any of the previous attitude he had shown vanishing as his eyes reflected the pain he too was feeling. Sighing, Jeff wriggled himself onto the sofa, wondering how many times he was going to have to have this conversation with Virgil. They must have been through it at least three times a week, yet the artist was still not prepared to accept that there was absolutely nothing he could have done to stop the kidnapping.

Trying to give them a little more room, Jeff pulled Virgil onto his lap, although his son still kept a vice like grip on his brother. Gordon and Alan had fallen silent, Gordon watching with wide eyes whilst Alan took up the challenge of getting himself to his feet by using John's leg.

"Virg, we've been through this," Jeff murmured softly, pressing a kiss onto the top of the brown locks. "You know there is nothing you could have done, and the fact that you got away meant we knew straight away what had happened." Rocking Virgil back and forth softly as if he was no more than Alan's age, Jeff looked towards the door to see Scott hovering uncertainly, still not sure how his father was expecting him to react.

"Didn't help though," Virgil sobbed, making Jeff frown in confusion. Sitting up, he pushed Virgil into an upright position so he could look his son in the eye.

"What do you mean, Virgil? How did it not help?"

"He hasn't come back!"

"Virgil, look at me." Waiting until his son was complying with his instructions, Jeff looked him straight in the eye. "What is this about?"

"Has he forgotten us, Dad?"

"Who?"

"Scott."

"Why on earth would you think that?" By the way John suddenly stiffened, Jeff knew he had caught sight of his older brother. Virgil, on the other hand, remained oblivious to Scott's presence.

"He doesn't talk anymore. He always shuts me out, never wants to do anything. It's like we don't exist anymore." Dissolving into another wave of tears, Virgil once more buried his head in his father's shoulder, causing Jeff to awkwardly turn his head in order to see the door. What had been his son, however, was just a mere blur of movement as Scott took off up the stairs, the slamming of his bedroom door seconds later indicating where he had taken refuge. Virgil, for his part, never noticed. Catching John's eye, Jeff smiled gratefully when his elder blond merely nodded at him, already knowing what his father was going to say. Sliding Virgil off his lap and back over to John, Jeff stood up.

Jogging up the stairs, he came to a halt outside of a shut door. Not giving Scott the chance to deny him access, Jeff simply strode straight in, coming to a stop whilst his eyes roamed the room, looking for his son. He didn't have to look far. Scott was crouched on his windowsill, the position looking anything but comfortable as he stared intently out of the window. His whole posture was tense and rigid, and Jeff couldn't stop the sinking feeling in his stomach that he might well be right back where he had started with his eldest son.

"Scotty?"

"Does he really think that?" Scott whispered, drawing his sleeve across his eyes as he turned to face his father. Sighing, Jeff rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, trying to alleviate the tension building there.

"No, Scott. He is just scared. You have to understand, it was Virgil who knew when B-."

"Don't say it!"

"-when you were in trouble again at the hospital. He still won't say how he knew, just claiming that he did. He's always felt connected to you, the way I know you have to him. And he is reaching out for you here, only to be met with a withdrawn brother. He's just confused, Scotty, he doesn't realise you are trying to protect him, he just sees it as you drawing away. He's never had that from you before, he doesn't know how to react."

"I don't know how to get through to him, Dad," Scott softly admitted, turning his attention back out of the window, finding the words hard enough to say without having to meet his father's gaze.

"Every time I'm with him, it's like I'm expecting them to grab him again, and maybe this time he won't be able to get away. I just want to keep him safe."

"Then you have to tell him that, son," Jeff said softly, crossing the room and balancing his hands upon Scott's shoulders as he joined him at the window. It was much later than he realised, the sun already beginning its descent over the horizon. If he was honest, Jeff knew he shouldn't be surprised. Picking up Gordon and Alan had taken longer than it should have done, not to mention then having to diffuse the situation with Virgil and John. Then looking for Scott... and now this. Hours must have passed since he had left the office. Silence fell over father and son once again, but just as Jeff made to move, a small voice stopped him.

"What if he doesn't accept me?"

"You won't know until you try, will you?" Giving his son's shoulder a quick squeeze, Jeff quietly left the room, knowing by the noise coming from below that Gordon was getting hungry. It was times like this where he just wished time would stop, giving him a moment to catch his breath before tackling the next problem. His mother had offered to practically move in with them, but Jeff had been so anxious for things to return to normal that he had refused. Even so, she was around nearly every day at some point, today being a rare exception.

TBTB

A few hours later, and silence had fallen over the household. Crashing down on the sofa with a noise that could resemble a groan, Jeff was unable to stifle the huge yawn that forced its way out. Bedtime had gone remarkably smoothly for the four out of his five sons that would hopefully be able to get some sleep, but the father knew better than to try and force Scott to bed. He would go when he was ready, and with any luck, if he was feeling sleepy, he might even be able to catch a few hours. Glancing at the clock, Jeff grimaced to find that it had only just gone ten o'clock, yet the father and businessman had to admit that he was thinking about going to bed himself. The chances were that he would be up numerous times in the night anyway, but at least with tomorrow being Saturday, he would be able to have a lie in if his sons allowed it. It wasn't so much that he needed to be up for them, the elder boys were more than capable of taking control for a few hours, it was more to do with Gordon's inability to stay quiet. Not to mention that Virgil had yet to realise that practising the piano when other people were trying to sleep was not the smartest move ever.

Gazing with unseeing eyes at the ceiling, Jeff let his mind wander over the events of the day. It had certainly been an interesting one, if that was the right word to use. Jeff still couldn't believe Scott's train of thought, that he had kept everything in because he didn't want his brothers to see him losing control in the fear that it would make them worse. Nor the fact that Virgil felt so strongly that he was losing his biggest brother that he had chosen to hide the fact he was having the nightmares still. He had once again tried to close his bedroom door, but after leaving it half an hour to make sure that his son was asleep, Jeff had opened it again. He needed to be able to hear when Virgil was getting restless, for only physical comfort was enough to make the boy drift back to sleep again.

Deciding that he might as well get some sleep considering he felt dead on his feet already, Jeff hauled himself up from the sofa with a sigh, yawning again. Casually flicking off the lights as he passed and checking that the door was locked, he had just reached the bottom of the stairs when something made him pause. He was sure that he had heard a noise. Listening hard, Jeff didn't need to strain his ears to catch the scream coming out from Virgil's room.

The nightmares for that night had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you once again for the lovely reviews! Congrats to the couple of you that have actually guessed this bit!**

Pausing at the foot of the stairs for a moment to collect himself, Jeff couldn't help but sigh. If the nightmares had started already, they were in for a very rough night. Gaining a tight control over his emotions, Jeff sent himself sprinting up the stairs, skidding along the corridor towards Virgil's room. Just before he got there, however, something brought him sharply to a stop. Someone else had beaten him there. Framed in the doorway, Jeff could just about make out Scott's silhouette, the teenager hesitating uncertainly, clearly wanting to go and comfort his little brother, but the doubts from earlier still playing on his mind.

_Go on, Scotty, _Jeff found himself thinking furiously, taking a couple of silent steps backwards so he melted into the end of the corridor. He would go to Virgil in a moment if Scott didn't move - his son's cries were breaking his father's heart - but Jeff wanted to see what would happen. If Scott could pluck up the courage to step through the door properly, facing his own fears whilst relieving Virgil of his, it would do them both good. The younger would hopefully stop feeling like his brother had disappeared and would be more willing to open up again. And with any luck, Scott would also see that it wasn't so bad to have his younger siblings know that he was frightened as well.

As Scott continued to just stand there, Jeff sighed, making to step forward. As much as he wanted the boys to go back to the relationship they had once had, it wasn't fair to leave Virgil trapped in the nightmare in order to make it happen. Whether he made a slight noise as he stepped forward, Jeff was not sure, but something seemed to suddenly startle Scott out of whatever dark thoughts had been plaguing the teenager. To Jeff's delight, he stepped through the door.

He didn't get very far though. As soon as he stepped through, Scott was given a clear view of his little brother, and, unable to believe he had shut himself off from his brothers in order to protect them, Scott felt his breath catch in his throat. His father had been right; whatever was haunting Virgil now could be no worse than what Scott was so reluctant to share. Twisted in his sheets, Virgil's hands were clenched in the material tightly, his knuckles turning white with the force behind his actions. Frightened cries were punctuated by the restless muttering coming from the boy as he twisted in his sleep, his head tossing frantically to and fro as he tried to escape from whatever it was he was dreaming about.

Taking a deep breath, almost to steady his nerves, Scott stepped forward. Feeling himself hesitate again, the teenager forced himself forward, practically throwing himself onto the bed in order to stop himself backing out. He wasn't even sure what it was he was so scared of, yet couldn't help but feel that he had let his brother down. Maybe if he had been more honest, more open towards Virgil, the younger boy would not be so terrified now.

Reaching out a hand shakily, Scott paused again, his hand hovering over his brother.

_Pull yourself together, he needs you. _Thinking furiously, Scott swallowed hard, determined that he was not going to back out of this.

Very slowly, the hand lowered, until Scott finally had it rested on top of Virgil's head. The simple touch changed something in the older brother, almost as if he had forgotten what it was to be the one they all needed and went to but was now being reminded. Any doubts he may have had instantly vanished as he hitched himself further onto the bed, stroking Virgil's hair back from his sweaty forehead.

"Virg? Virgil, come on, bro, wake up."

"No! Don't...don't leave me!" As Virgil's breathing became even more frantic, Scott slipped an arm behind his brother's shoulders, holding him close.

"Come back to me, Virg," he whispered quietly in Virgil's ear, one hand being used to prop his brother into a more upright position as the other continued to comb itself through the chestnut hair. Feeling Virgil swallow hard, Scott leant forward slightly so he could get a better look at Virgil's face. Seeing that his eyes were open, Scott smiled gently at him.

"I gotcha, kiddo."

"You're not going to leave me?" Virgil whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. Glancing at him in concern, Scott could tell that his brother was not yet properly awake, parts of the dream obviously spilling over into his waking moments as well.

"No, buddy, I'm right here. I'm... I'm not going anywhere." And just like that, Scott felt as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't going anywhere, none of them were. What he _was_ going to do, however, was come back to them. His father had been right: hiding himself away certainly hadn't done him any favours, instead just making him feel that if he got too close to the others, they would disappear. It was only now, over a month later and with a terrified brother seeking out a vice-like grip on his hand that Scott realised what an idiot he had been.

Pulling one leg around Virgil, Scott wriggled himself backwards until he was leaning against the wall, his legs spread out on the bed with his brother sitting between them, his head resting back on Scott's shoulder. A silence fell once more over the brothers, but unlike the uneasy ones that had been present over the last few weeks, this one was filled with warmth and love. There was a silence not because they didn't know what to say to one another, but because nothing _needed_ to be said, the comfort they each received from the other's presence was enough.

"Scotty?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought I'd lost you." From the way Virgil shuddered slightly, Scott realised that his brother didn't just mean when he had disappeared. Cursing himself for being so blind to the pain he had been putting his brothers through, Scott swallowed hard.

"You'll never lose me, Virg. I'm always going to be here for you, forever. No matter what happens."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Come on, kiddo, try and get some more sleep."

"Don't want to," Virgil muttered, holding on tighter to Scott's hand. He didn't want to admit that if he agreed to get some more sleep, Scott might try to leave the room. Almost as if he could sense what his younger sibling was thinking, Scott rested his chin on the top of Virgil's head.

"I just said I wasn't going anywhere. Please, Virg?"

"Fine. As long as you don't go anywhere!"

A small smile making its way onto his face at how stubborn the eleven year-old sounded considering how terrified he had been not ten minutes ago, Scott couldn't help but feel relieved as Virgil wriggled down the bed a little more, shuffling until he was in a more comfortable position, his head now resting on Scott's chest. After a few moments, the methodical movement of Scott's hand combing through his hair provided Virgil with the sense of security that he had been craving and his breathing slowly evened back out as he fell asleep again.

Staring with unseeing eyes across the room, Scott couldn't quite believe how much the one nightmare had affected him. It was as if he had been oblivious to what the rest of the family had been going through, too caught up in his own terror to realise how it was affecting his brothers, and even to some extent, his father. Now, however, he knew that was about to change. Having Virgil asleep in his arms was somehow managing to provide him with the sense of security he had been missing for a long time. Even in the hospital, despite knowing that his family were safe and beside him, Scott had been so overwhelmed by everything that had happened, it was like he didn't really noticed the comfort and support they were offering, living almost in a dream-like state for a few days whilst his body began to heal. His mind, however, hadn't done that quite so quickly.

"I'm sorry, Virg. I've been a rubbish big brother. I'll make it up to you, promise." Feeling exhausted, Scott wondered whether tonight was the night he would actually be able to get some sleep. If he was honest, he was amazed that he was still going - it had been ridiculous how little sleep he had managed to obtain over the last few weeks. It was almost as if his body had just been piloting on automatic, getting him through each day without Scott being aware of what was really going on.

Leaning his head back on the wall with a sigh, Scott swallowed hard, before allowing his eyes to drift shut. Only a few moments later, however, he furiously wrenched them open again, desperately trying to calm his erratic breathing and racing heart so that he didn't wake up Virgil. It was no good. Despite the breakthrough he felt he had made in the last few hours alone, Scott could still see _his _face. Knowing that no matter how tired he was feeling he was not going to be getting to sleep now, Scott leant back again, trying to find a comfortable position against the cold, hard wall without disturbing his brother now Virgil had managed to find some sort of peace. Shifting again, Scott glanced up quickly when he heard someone enter the room, only to see his father walk in, a smile on his face despite the tears glistening in his eyes.

"You were right, Dad," Scott whispered, sparing the sleeping Virgil a fond glance as he spoke. "I shouldn't have shut them off."

"You'll all get there, Scotty. Here, lean forward a sec."

As his son did as he was told, Jeff slipped Scott's own pillow behind him, cushioning the wall as Scott leant back again with a grateful smile.

"You comfy, kiddo?"

"No," Scott admitted, the first real smile Jeff had seen him wear for a considerable length of time making its way onto his face. "But Virgil is, so I'm not budging."

Opening his mouth to say something back to his eldest child, Jeff paused, tilting his head towards the door. One glance at Scott's face showed he too had heard the noise.

"_No!"_

"Johnny," Jeff muttered, running his hand distractedly through his hair.

"Go to him, Dad. I've got Virg."

Leaning over, Jeff dropped a light kiss on the top of Scott's head, ruffling his son's hair as he stood back up again.

"Love you, Scotty." Turning around, he had just reached the door when a small voice called him back.

"Love you too, Dad."

Smiling fondly at his son, Jeff left Virgil's room, turning on his heel and heading down the hallway once more, following the cries for the second time that night. He had seen the whole interaction between his eldest and middle sons, hidden in the shadows of the doorway so they didn't realise that he was there. He had seen the way Scott's entire posture had changed; something had been altered in the boy. Jeff couldn't help but wonder if they had made more progress in this one evening than they had managed for over a month. Virgil's earlier upset happening within Scott's hearing might have helped more than Jeff's words did, he knew that Scott hadn't truly realised how his brothers were feeling. Not that Jeff could blame him though; Scott did have a point when he said the others didn't know what it felt like. Jeff shuddered to imagine what his son had witnessed in those few days he was away from his family, not to mention what he had gone through himself. It was going to take far longer than a month for Scott to be able to get over it and allow things to go back to the way they had been, but with any luck, tonight had been a turning point for the whole family.

"_Scott!"_ Picking up his pace as John's cry once more startled him out of his thoughts; Jeff practically sprinted down the hallway, throwing himself through John's door in a way that was far from graceful. The blond was practically mirroring his little brother's earlier position, although instead of his hands being scrunched in the sheets, they were both positioned in such a way as to try to protect his arm. Even in his sleep, John was conscious of his injury. Technically, the doctors had cleared him for not needing the sling anymore, as long as he restricted the movement of his arm, something that John took to heart whenever he was at home. At school, however, both he and his father had decided that it was best to leave it on, at least that way, people would be conscious of the fact he was hurt. The hustle and bustle of a school corridor was just an accident waiting to happen otherwise.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, making sure he was far enough on that he wouldn't simply fall off should John lash out in his sleep (something that had happened more than once, Jeff was embarrassed to admit), the father leant forward, calling his son softly as he gently uncurled John's hands from one another, holding them tightly in his own. Just as with Virgil, it took a few attempts to get through to John, but eventually his eyes flickered open, confusion and pain more than evident within.

"It's okay, Johnny," Jeff murmured softly, moving further up the bed now that his son was awake and looping his arm around his shoulders, mindful of the bandage wrapped securely around one of them. "Everything's okay."

Swallowing hard, John leant over and flicked his light on, pulling himself into a more upright position as he quickly drew his arm across his eyes, not wanting his father to see how close to tears he was. Feeling a hand tug him back again, John smiled tiredly, but obeyed, leaning back on his father and letting Jeff take his weight.

"What happened this time, son?" Jeff asked quietly. Whilst Virgil always sought out the physical contact of someone as reassurance, Jeff knew that it took more than that to calm John. The quietest of his boys, John's imagination was proving to be his own worst enemy.

"You were too late," John muttered, leaning back even further, feeling exhausted. He was sick of seeing his father return to the hospital with the news that they hadn't made it to Scott in time. It was happening night after night, and as much as John knew that his brother was safe, he couldn't stop himself from seeing it.

"They killed him. They killed my big brother." His breath hitching in his throat, John glanced away as the tears spilled over. Moving to angrily to wipe them away, he was more than surprised when his father beat him to it, gently using his thumb to brush the tears away.

"We weren't too late, Johnny," Jeff said soothingly, gently laying his son back down and running a hand through his hair calmingly. "We'll never be too late, no matter what. We have him back, Scott's safe."

Quite proud of how successfully he managed to keep the tremor out of his voice, Jeff felt a rush of relief wash over him as John nodded, letting his eyes drift shut again. Little did the boy know quite how close to losing his big brother he had been. Jeff hadn't told them what had happened at the house. Not in full, anyway. They were suffering enough; they certainly didn't need the image that Jeff couldn't shake from his mind. Turner standing over a semi-conscious Scott, the gun positioned in a way that could only kill. If they had been just a few seconds later...

Shaking his head suddenly, Jeff refused to let himself go down that route, instead replaying the words he had just told his son in his head, reminding himself that his eldest child was just down the hallway. As John's breathing evened out once more, Jeff made to stand up again, but before he could do so, the pattering of small feet could be heard coming down the hallway. Trying not to groan out loud, Jeff turned just in time to see his fourth son materialise in the doorway. Maybe he should take his mother up on her offer to come for the day tomorrow, the boys were all going to be exhausted come morning.

"What are you doing here, Gordon?" Jeff asked wearily, making sure to keep his voice quiet as he stood up again, crossing the room before crouching down in front of the next son.

"Johnny's upset," Gordon said simply, looking past his father to the sleeping figure sprawled out on the bed. "I told him I'd pro'ect him."

Feeling a sudden rush of love for the small figure in front of him, Jeff bent down, scooping the seven year-old into his arms and carrying him out again, Gordon automatically wrapping his arms around his father's neck and leaning against his shoulder.

"Johnny's just fine now, son. And you need to be asleep."

"But Allie's snoring," Gordon moaned pathetically, making his father chuckle. It couldn't be denied, his youngest son was certainly the heaviest breather compared to how his brothers had been at that age. With the tensions running high in the household that evening, it came as no surprise to the father of five that it only took something as small as that to wake Gordon. It had never affected him before, but over the last few weeks he had been stirring a lot more. Jeff couldn't help but wonder whether it was time to convert what had been originally used as a study and give Gordon his own room. He had been toying with the idea even before everything that had happened, but had refused to mention it, wondering whether the prospect of being on his own at night at the moment would destroy any progress Gordon had been making. His father certainly didn't want to take that chance.

Entering the joint room of his two youngest sons, Jeff winced slightly. Alan certainly was being restless tonight, and with Gordon already awake, Jeff had a horrible feeling that it was going to take more than just being put back to bed to make his little troublemaker drift back off to sleep. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Jeff came to a decision.

"Do you want to sleep with Daddy tonight?"

As Gordon's eyes lit up with excitement, Jeff tried not to groan, wondering what he had let himself in for. To his amazement, however, everything went smoothly. It showed just how exhausted his son was, for by the time that Jeff had rounded the bed after depositing him in it, Gordon was fast asleep, hugging the pillow tightly.

Laying down himself, Jeff sighed deeply. If he was extremely lucky, that would be it for the night, the boys having been reassured enough to be able to sleep the rest of the night out. Feeling Gordon kick him slightly as the boy shifted in his sleep, Jeff couldn't help but let a tired grin cross his face. The same would not necessarily be said for their father.

TBTB

"Shh, you'll wake him up!"

"He has to wake up, how is he supposed to eat otherwise?"

"Don't wake him up like that! Virgil, _Virgil, _get your butt back here."

Feeling himself return to consciousness, Jeff lay perfectly still, keeping his eyes shut and desperately trying to keep the smile off his face. So far he had heard his eldest three sons' voices, and had to admit that he was curious about what they were up to.

"Hun'ry, Scotty!" So Alan was there as well, and judging by the toddler's protest, the boys had yet to have breakfast. It was only the light playing across the pillow when Jeff had let his eyes open a crack that made the father even aware that it was morning. He had slept deeply that night, thankfully too exhausted to be plagued by his normal nightmares, and judging by the fact that this was the first time he had heard the boys since last night's dramas, they had escaped as well.

"I know, Allie. Won't be long, I promise. Then we'll get you some breakfast, Sprout."

"Hurry up," Alan moaned, and Jeff knew without having to see that his youngest son would be pouting.

"We will don't wor – Gordon, don't you _dare!"_

"What?" Gordon sounded suspiciously innocent, and if Jeff hadn't been sure that Scott and John were in the room, he would have moved there and then. It wasn't that he didn't trust his fourth-born son, he just knew that the boy could be very inventive when he wanted.

"Put it down."

"It's how they wake people up in the movies!"

"You are _not_ pouring water over him! John, a hand here?"

"Why? You're handling it fine yourself," John responded with a laugh, making Jeff's heart feel lighter than it had for weeks. Something had really changed in Scott, he was certainly acting like the big brother he had always been, and judging by how relaxed the rest of them were, his brothers had noticed.

"Thanks, bro. Gordon, _no!_ DAD!" Reacting to Scott's yell, Jeff immediately rolled across the bed, opening his eyes as he did so to see a very put-out Gordon standing over where he had been lying, the glass of water in his hand tilted worryingly. Raising his eyebrows, Jeff didn't say anything, watching with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as Gordon sheepishly put the glass back down again. As soon as it was out of harm's way, Jeff sprang across the bed, grabbing his son around the middle and tickling the seven year-old mercilessly, causing high-pitched giggles to erupt from the child as he yelled for John to save him.

Eventually, Jeff paused, knowing that if he continued, Gordon was going to end up with the hiccups. Pulling his son into him, Jeff instead crossed his arms around the boy's midriff, effectively locking Gordon's arms into his side. If it had been anyone else, Jeff wouldn't have dared, knowing that the older three wouldn't have been able to cope with that level of physical contact. Ignoring the feeble protests, Jeff glanced around the rest of his boys, a smile on his face.

Scott was leaning against the doorframe, Alan in his arms. He looked exhausted and the usual haunted look was still present in his eyes, but Jeff was almost certain that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him when he thought that Scott's overall posture seemed more relaxed. He knew that even once Scott accepted help, it was going to take time, but the fact that he was willing to put on the performance of being fine for the sake of his brothers was definitely a step in the right direction.

John was standing next to him, leaning against the wall. He looked like he had half-heartedly tried to move after Gordon, but clearly couldn't be bothered to give up his leaning post and so had stayed by the wall. The fifth son was standing at the edge of the bed, and for a moment Jeff blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting there to be a tray balanced in his son's hands.

"Go on then, Virg," Scott said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, tilting his head towards the bed. A wide grin splitting the eleven year-old's face, Virgil moved carefully around the bed, causing Jeff to let go of Gordon and giving him a little nudge to make him move out of the way of his brother. Despite carrying the tray ever so carefully, Virgil still managed to practically drop it onto Jeff's lap as he tried to put it down again, only being saved by his father's quick reactions.

"Wow." Jeff said simply, stunned by the breakfast that was waiting on it. It was only simple, but it had still clearly taken the boys time to sort out.

"I made it!" Virgil declared proudly, making Jeff smile up at him. As John cleared his throat meaningfully, Virgil seemed to deflate slightly. "John helped."

"John more than helped," said brother responded with a slightly indignant look, finally moving away from the wall and sitting down on the chair that rested in the corner of Jeff's room, almost absentmindedly pulling Gordon onto his lap with one hand as the redhead moved past him.

"Thank you, boys. It's really –"

"Hun'ry!" Alan demanded loudly, wriggling in Scott's arms. Seeing the resigned look on his eldest son's face, Jeff smiled.

"Are you going to help me eat mine, Alan?"

"But Dad, we made it for you!" Virgil protested, glancing between his father and youngest brother.

"I'll explode if I eat all of that," Jeff responded with a laugh, gesturing to the bowl of cereal, the few pieces of toast and the stack of pancakes resting on his lap. "Here, give this to your brother."

Handing Virgil some of the toast, Jeff watched as Scott immediately moved into the room, sitting down on the end of the bed and taking the toast from Virgil. As he began breaking off smaller bits to give to Alan, Jeff suddenly realised just how good with his youngest brother Scott was. Swallowing past the lump that had suddenly emerged in his throat, Jeff glanced away. He knew precisely why that was. And it was his fault.

"Hey, Dad?" Looking up again at Virgil's call, Jeff tried to force the smile back on his face, but he was almost certain that his sons wouldn't be fooled. "How come you moved so quickly?"

"He was already awake, Virg," John supplied, causing his father to gape at him in surprise. He didn't think he had given the boys any reason to suspect that he was awake, despite the noise they had been making.

"How do you know that?" Virgil demanded haughtily, turning to face his older blond brother. It wasn't John, however, that answered.

"Didn't you seem him flinch when we tried to stop Gords?" Sharing a grin with his immediate younger sibling, Scott and John traded amused looks as Gordon pouted somewhat pathetically. Glancing guiltily at the boys, Jeff grimaced. And he had tried so hard not to react.

Noting Alan had finished his breakfast, Scott stood back up again.

"Come on, Sprout, let's find you some clothes." Carrying the toddler out of the room, silence fell as Scott left. Eventually though, John spoke, although any of the light-heartedness from the banter before had vanished, a serious note appearing in the teenager's voice again.

"Is he alright?"

"He will be, boys. He will be."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much once again for all of those lovely reviews, especially to those I can't respond directly too! They mean a lot!**

Scott climbed out of the car quietly, his eyes roaming the courtyard in front of the school, trying to make himself accept that there was plenty of room and that nothing would be holding him back. Despite their protests, Jeff had insisted on driving them all to school that morning, and, despite his brothers' grumbles, Scott knew why. He had managed to put on a cheerful display all weekend and to his relief it had had the desired effect on his younger siblings, especially Virgil. He couldn't help but notice how intently his father had been watching him, however. He knew that Jeff was more than aware that this was just an act, that inside he was hurting just as badly as he had been before. Not wanting to say anything too forthcoming in case it made his oldest son revert back into the withdrawn teenager that had emerged after the kidnap, Jeff had kept quiet, not fooled for an instant. As long as his brothers were happier though, Scott didn't particularly care if his father was keeping a closer eye on him. His dad knew how he was feeling, something that Scott was thankful about. He had tried so hard to be the strong one, shutting himself off so they didn't see him crack, but now that there was at least one person that he didn't have to pretend in front of, it had made a huge difference to the youngster.

"Are you coming, Scott?"

John's voice pulling him from his musings, Scott glanced up to see John watching him with a strange expression on his face. Virgil had also paused, twisting back to look past John at his biggest brother. It was almost as if the younger two didn't want to have to go into the school without Scott, almost as if they were half expecting him to bolt out of the gate the moment they turned their backs. If he was honest, the thought had crossed Scott's mind. He would have been able to find somewhere open, somewhere where he wasn't constantly restricted by where he could or could not go. It was never something he had noticed about school before - Scott had never thought about how limited their movement was during the day. After an early incident on his first day back the teenager had been given a permanent pass, able to leave the room whenever he chose - without permission if need be - but Scott still couldn't help but hate having to sit through the lessons. He had been trapped before and now anything that stopped him from moving as he pleased made the teenager's breathing become somewhat frantic as his heart began to race.

"Scott?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered under his breath, swinging his bag up over his shoulder and walking forward. Virgil dropped back to walk in with his two brothers, but as soon as they entered the school he had no choice but to disappear off in one direction as his brothers went the opposite way. His moment of hesitation, however, was not missed by either of the elder two, and, giving him a soft nudge in the back, John sent his younger brother on his way, knowing that if the eleven year-old had the choice, he would have tagged along with them. Standing side by side, the two brothers watched him go for a moment, before the emptying corridors caught their attention and they too turned and disappeared up separate corridors. They knew they would be back together soon, they both had Math second lesson, and despite everything that had happened, the blond genius of the brothers had managed to stay so far ahead of his own year that he was still in Scott's class. Something his older brother was extremely grateful for. He didn't think he would have ever been able to survive Flich's lessons if it wasn't for John's calming presence at his side. Ironically, it was now the only class, apart from gym, where he didn't have the urge to leave halfway through, not being able to sit in the same spot any longer.

As John meandered down the corridor towards his own common room, his mind on his brothers - both older and younger - he didn't see the trio walking towards him until it was almost too late. Looking up, he just managed to bite back a groan at seeing the hulk of Harry Spencer walking towards him. Part of the reason why he hadn't wanted Virgil to react on Friday was that he had no desire to draw the school bully's attention towards his younger brother. John, on the other hand, had known for more than a few months precisely what Spencer and his cronies were like, something which no one, not even Scott, knew about. He had had no desire to get his older brother involved beforehand, knowing that Scott had enough on his plate with trying to keep anyone from finding out about their father's absence, and he didn't want to dump another load on him. And over the last few weeks, well, John couldn't honestly remember the last time he had managed a proper conversation with his big brother.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Blondie the cripple."

Lowering his eyes again, John made to move sideways, determined to just walk past them and not react. After all, if he could survive Turner shooting him, what could Spencer possibly do?

"No kid brother this time, Blondie?" Spencer jeered, also stepping sideways so that he was back in John's path. "Fiery little brat, isn't he?"

"Leave him alone!" John growled protectively, finally raising his head and looking Spencer directly in the eye. He could deal with the taunts himself; after all it had been happening for long enough. But there was no way he was going to let Spencer go after Virgil, especially given the state the kid was already in regarding everything.

"Or what?" Spencer replied mockingly, casually raising an eyebrow and staring down at John. For a moment, neither of them looked away, but a door banging shut at the end of the corridor made Spencer jump. Glancing over his shoulder, as if checking there were no teachers about, he calmly stepped out of John's path and let the blond Tracy continue on his way. Silently thanking his luck that he gotten away with it for another day, John was not prepared for the sudden shove in his shoulder blades, hissing with pain as his shoulder jarred and he was sent stumbling forwards.

"Spencer!" Glancing up quickly, John couldn't help but smile to see his favourite teacher framed at the end of the corridor. Samson always managed to turn up in time to save the Tracys, no matter what. As he began to stride down the corridor, John finally managed to correct his balance, only to feel Spencer coming up behind him.

"If you want the kid to stay out of this, you'll keep your mouth shut."

"You won't get away with it."

"Want to risk the brat on that?"

"What's going on here, boys?" Samson had finally reached them, his eyes flickering in concern at the way John was cradling his arm.

"Nothing, sir," Spencer responded smoothly, his face a picture of innocence.

"John?" His eyes flicking over to where Spencer stood, out of Samson's eye line, John swallowed at the older boy's pointed look.

"Nothing, sir." he said meekly, his eyes once more finding the floor. Looking at him for a long moment, Samson knew full well that John was hiding something, but he couldn't push it, not without overstepping his boundaries.

"Then get to your common rooms, the lot of you." Not needing to be told again, John practically ran from the scene, knowing full well Spencer would be walking calmly in the opposite direction. The sooner second lesson came and he was with Scott again, the better. Even the withdrawn version of his brother still had the power to make John feel safe.

TBTB

Virgil, however, was not quite so lucky. After surviving a gruelling hour of Science – throughout most of which he had struggled to keep his eyes open, learning about the planets may have interested John, but Virgil just found boring - the boy was then forced to trudge wearily to the changing rooms. He really didn't have the energy to survive a whole hour of gym, and found himself wishing that he had an excuse like John. He would even settle to being able to walk out of lessons whenever he pleased like Scott at this moment in time, for having to pretend around a class of energetic boys that everything was fine was a hard enough challenge in normal lessons. In one where he was supposed to be showing this energy, however, Virgil found he was struggling. He had tried to get his father to excuse him, but Jeff had refused – gently, but refused all the same- saying that if Virgil stopped with it now, he'd probably never be able to face it again, the memories of what happened last time preventing him from ever overcoming the fear. Virgil would have done anything to escape from the class, though. Ever since that fateful weekend, the child had developed a somewhat irrational fear of physical contact from anyone that was not a member of his family, the consequences of the last time it had happened playing on his mind. In fact, if it wasn't for the encouraging smile Samson shot him out of his office window as the class scuffed past, Virgil thought he would have bolted there and then, finding some secluded corner to while the lesson away. He didn't think it would be so bad if Samson was his teacher, at least that way the man would know the reason behind Virgil's lack of enthusiasm, but as Head of Department, the man had more responsibilities than just teaching. Which, Virgil had decided, was completely unfair.

Staying extremely quiet as he slowly changed, trying to take as long as possible, Virgil ignored all of his friends' attempts to engage him in their conversation, until they eventually drifted off, muttering to themselves and sparing him looks over their shoulders. The young artist found that he wasn't particularly bothered though, knowing that as soon as this lesson was over, they would include him once more as if nothing had happened; it was how it had been for the last couple of weeks. Virgil knew he wasn't being fair on them, but even after having a slight return of Scott for the weekend, the eleven year-old found his tired mind just couldn't cope with keeping up pretences all the time.

Hearing the whistle summon the boys out of the changing room, Virgil groaned out loud, tempted to just sit on the bench and refuse to move. They couldn't make him, surely? But as the rest of the boys slowly filed out, excitement written in their faces in anticipation of the physical tests they were about to face in order to prove themselves, Virgil found that he automatically followed, staying at the back. Keeping his eyes on the floor, the boy honestly couldn't say what the lesson was supposed to be about, instead tuning out. He wasn't even sure what he was thinking about, nothing in particular sprang to mind. Instead, he was just drifting, letting his mind find whatever sanctuary it still offered him whilst the teacher droned on and on about whatever it was he was talking about.

Eventually though, silence fell across the hall. Tearing his eyes away from the floor, Virgil immediately realised that the rest of the boys were pairing up, and, unless he moved fast, he was going to be the only one left. Whilst he may have wanted to escape the class, he still had some sort of dignity to preserve, and having to sit out because he didn't have a partner was not the way to do it. Despite only being eleven, Virgil knew the rules of the school. And isolating yourself – no matter what else was going on – was a bad idea. It wasn't so bad for Scott, being so much older had its advantages. But being one of the youngest in the place, Virgil knew he couldn't let that happen.

Moving towards a boy that he knew, but had never properly spoken to, Virgil managed to return his shy smile. He was hoping that if he went with someone other than his friends, neither would be too comfortable with working with each other, meaning he would be able to hang back rather than pretend to throw himself energetically into whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. Glancing around him, Virgil saw all the other pairs facing each other, an almost hungry expression on their faces. Swallowing slightly nervously, the boy couldn't help but wonder whether it had been a bad idea not to listen to the teacher, he had no idea what it was they were supposed to be doing.

He didn't have long to wait. Almost as soon as Virgil had reached his partner, the teacher blew the whistle once more, and the boys all sprang into action. Whipping his head back around, Virgil felt his heart beat uncomfortably fast as he realised what the lesson was about. Self-defence. They had been told last week that was what they would be doing: learning how to try and escape attacks. He knew there was a reason he really hadn't wanted to attend the class today more than normal. As the rest of the boys began throwing themselves at each other with yells of delight, Virgil stood frozen to the spot, his breathing coming in short frantic gasps as a cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't...

"Tracy! Higgins! Unless you want to be doing laps, get moving!" Virgil went to open his mouth to explain that he would much _rather _be doing laps, but the slighter boy in front of him immediately jumped to it. Without any warning, he sprang at Virgil. Watching him come, Virgil opened his mouth a few times, desperately trying to make a sound to make him stop, but no words came out. As Higgins grabbed onto his arm in the position Virgil was supposed to free himself from, the artist felt his knees give way, the corners of his vision beginning to darken slightly. He was vaguely aware of Higgins letting go in fright, yelling for the teacher, but it was as if he had been submerged, the calls coming from far away rather than right next to him. As he pitched forward, Virgil was certainly not expecting a strong arm to suddenly catch him, lowering him to the ground gently.

"Easy, Virg, I've got you."

TBTBTB

Gazing with unseeing eyes at the board, Scott was vaguely aware of John sitting on the edge of his seat next to him, scribbling away as Flich spoke. Ever since their return to school, it had never once been doubted that the two boys should sit together, but even then, Scott had not been able to work out what it was about Math that John loved so much. Somehow, the numbers all seemed to make sense to the young boy, rather than just flying over his head as they did for Scott. Shifting restlessly, Scott knew he should really be paying attention, but one of the great things about having John there was that the fourteen year-old had a much better way of explaining the lesson to his big brother than Flich. Not that Scott would ever admit that it was John who was helping him through the homework rather than the other way around, but considering everything that had happened, Scott reckoned he had a good enough excuse to twist the big/little brother boundaries slightly.

Shifting again, Scott frowned slightly. It wasn't just his own restlessness that was playing on his mind; he was more than used to that lately. No, it was something else. Something was niggling at the back of his mind, as if he had forgotten to do something. But Scott knew it was more than that. He didn't know why, but he had this strong feeling that it was something to do with Virgil. A few weeks ago he would have shaken it off without a second thought, but on hearing how his little brother had simply _known _that he was in trouble again at the hospital, Scott had begun to pay more attention. Whilst he had no idea what that something was that had caused his brother to react, he did know that it was only Virgil's timely arrival that meant he was even sitting here now thinking about it.

Sucking in a breath sharply through his nose, Scott set his jaw, trying to block the thoughts from his mind. He could feel rather than see that John had paused in his frantic note-taking and instead was watching his big brother, a frown on his face. Wondering if John would have any idea why something might be bothering Virgil, Scott opened his mouth, his lips barely moving.

"What lesson is Virg in?" he hissed under his breath, shifting his position once more to try and make the movement cover up his words.

"Gym, I think. He was moaning about it earlier," John whispered back, the pen going slack in his hand as he watched Scott critically. He had come to see many unnerving expressions on his brother's face over the last few weeks, but couldn't help but feel puzzled by the fact that Scott looked confused.

"What are they doing?"

"How should I know?"

"Tracy! Junior! Another word out of either of you and you're both in detention."

Unable to hide the eye roll that emerged at Flich's words, Scott turned back to gaze at the board without really seeing it as John jumped, picking up his pen again. Scott didn't like the man, but he had no idea how John was managing to cope with him, the patronising tone just made Scott want to hit him. But then again, everything about this class just made him want to lash out. John, on the other hand, seemed to have developed a certain sense of calm over the last few weeks. The last time Scott had seen his brother react physically to anything was their own fight in the corridor, something that now seemed a lifetime ago. It was almost as if the blond had seen too much violence and, his eyes falling across the sling that bound his brother's arm, Scott knew why. He had to say, he was proud of John. He too had seen more than his fair share, but unlike his brother, he still had the urge to lash out rather than keeping a cool head. In his eyes, he knew that the fourteen year-old was going to be someone you wanted around when things went wrong.

Resting back in his chair until he was almost facing the ceiling, Scott let his mind roam for a few moments, trying to work out why it was he was feeling worried about Virgil. Suddenly, he sat forward with a crash, causing the whole class to jump and look around at the two brothers. But John was watching Scott with the same expression on his face as everyone else.

"I know what's wrong!" Scott practically yelled, jumping up and sprinting for the door. He knew there had been something troubling him, it was something the young artist had let slip when they had managed to sneak a spare moment for the two of them. He had been moaning about gym class, the same way he had to John, but he had confided in Scott that it was because he was scared. Scared of the physical contact from other people outside of his family.

Immediately rising to his feet, John got half way to the door when an angry voice called him back.

"Your brother might have a free pass to skip lessons, but you, Junior, you don't. So unless you want to be in detention for a month, you won't take another step."

Blinking at him coolly, John regarded the teacher with a sense of indifference. If he thought that the threat of detention was going to keep John from his brothers after everything that had been done to try and tear them apart, he could think again.

"Fine," John said coldly, before turning on his heel and sprinting out of the door after Scott. He had seen and heard enough of what had happened in the hospital to know that when either Scott or Virgil said something was wrong with the other, it paid to listen. Ignoring the angry shout coming from behind him, John ran full speed in the direction of the hall where he knew Virgil would be having his class. He had no intention of trying to catch Scott before they got there; his brother was a lot faster on the best of days. John just wanted to get there as quickly as he could.

TBTB

As often happened when he was supposed to be doing some paperwork, Brian Samson found that his mind was drifting back to a certain Tracy family. He couldn't believe how well the younger boys had managed to adapt back into real life. Of course, the older ones still had a long way to go, the look on Virgil's face as he had walked past the office only ten minutes ago showed his discomfort at being back in the normal routine, especially as the three of them were acting as if nothing had happened. That was what was concerning the teacher. He hadn't seen a lot of them after Scott had been rescued, knowing that they all needed some valued family time, especially with their father. He was no longer needed, and so had more than happily stepped back. But he could tell that this was affecting the sixteen year-old more than he was letting on. Brian had been around for some key moments during the event: Virgil running back without his brother, he himself telling the boys that their brother was safe. He had seen John regain consciousness after being shot, witnessed enough of the drama to see how the others were reacting. But he hadn't seen that in Scott, only popping in almost a week later, making sure the teenager had had long enough to try to regain some of his strength before dropping by. He had seen each boy lose their defences at least once - even their father had crumbled in Brian's presence. But not Scott, and that was worrying him. He had been checking up on the boys, getting reports back from their teachers in order to pass them on to their father, and he knew that Scott was struggling to sit through a single lesson without having to leave. The boy was clearly bottling things up, and that was a worry. Although at least this time, if the look in Jeff's eye had been anything to go by when Brian had seen him on Friday, his father knew about it.

Blinking suddenly, Brian sat up straighter in his chair. He must have been thinking about the Tracys more than he realised, for he could have sworn he had just seen a blur that resembled the eldest brother go shooting past his window. Shaking his head slightly, Brian made to bend back down over the papers he was trying to grade when a slight movement made him look back up again. This time, there could be no denying the blond head and sling. For a reason that was beyond him, John Tracy was in the process of running past his window.

Frowning in contemplation, Brian couldn't deny that he was completely confused. He knew that Scott was often bolting from lessons, and if he was honest, he couldn't blame the teenager, he had been locked in a room for an entire weekend with no escape. Sitting through an hour's worth of something that was probably not of any interest to the young man was not going to do him any good. But this time, there must have been something more to it. For why on earth would John be following him? Unless something was wrong...

His racing mind suddenly springing back to Virgil's miserable face, Brian leapt from his chair with a curse that would have had him suspended if any of his pupils had heard him. Throwing himself across his small office, he yanked open the filing cabinet rather violently, flicking through the work schemes in front of him. Pulling one of them out furiously, Brian scanned the document before glancing back out of his window where the boys had run past. Throwing it on his desk as he took off, Brian Samson was out of his office before anyone could so much as blink, knowing precisely what had the elder two so worked up.

TBTB

Scott was barely aware of his surroundings as he went sprinting through the school, the corridors all blurring into one as he raced towards where he knew his younger brother was going to be. He was sure that something was wrong with Virgil, and, realising how concerned the child had been regarding the gym lessons, found that only increased his worry. Before he had quite realised where he was, he found that he had thrown himself through the door to the locker room in a way that could easily be mistaken for a hurricane. Skidding to a stop, Scott ignored the way he was panting, instead focusing his attention on scanning the room, desperately hoping that he was going to find Virgil in there. Before he had finished looking, however, something crashed into his back with a slight curse. Spinning sharply on the spot, Scott couldn't stop the expression of disbelief at seeing a flushed John standing there.

"Why did you have to stop _in _the doorway?"

"What are you doing here?"

"He's my brother too, Scott. Is he in here?"

"No, don't think so. John, you should go back, Flich will have your head if you've run out on him."

"I can handle a few detentions, Scott. C'mon, there is a group in the small hall, he might be there."

Feeling a complete rush of gratitude towards his immediate younger sibling, Scott allowed himself to be pulled from the room. Who else would understand – and believe – that something was wrong and follow him out like that other than John?

As the pair of them approached the hall, although this time at a much slower speed than Scott had previously been racing at, the two boys could hear the excited sound of yelling coming from within the hall. Sparing each other a confused glance, they moved closer, but before they had reached the doors, the yelling changed tone. It no longer sound excited, but panicked!

"Sir! Sir, something's wrong!"

John opened his mouth to say something to Scott, only to find himself looking at thin air. Moving forward himself, John slipped through the door before it had properly shut, only to stop short in horror. He could see Virgil across the hall, a smaller boy standing frantically next to him. Any colour his brother had, had drained, and his eyes made John's heart clench. Even from this distance, he had only seen Virgil look that panicked twice before. And neither had ended well. Before he could take a step forward, a cry of alarm escaped him as Virgil's knees suddenly gave way. Stumbling forward, John made to move again, only to suddenly realise that someone had beaten him to it.

Almost skidding across the floor, Scott threw himself to his knees as he watched Virgil buckle, coming to a sudden stop just below the boy. Reaching out, he quickly caught his brother around the chest and waist, gently lowering him to the floor in concern when he took in the ashen complexion and how fast Virgil's breathing was.

"Easy, Virg, I've got you."

Barely aware of the rest of Virgil's class crowding in on them, the only presence other than Virgil's Scott was aware of was John's as the blond suddenly dropped to his knees next to his brothers. Pulling Virgil out of Scott's arms, he pulled the young boy into a crushing embrace, holding him in the exact same way he had done those few weeks ago when Virgil had returned without Scott. For a moment, Scott looked slightly put-out, but then he seemed to realise that John had been there for Virgil in a way he himself hadn't because of everything that had happened, and so would know how to get through to the boy. Scott rubbed his hand soothingly across the part of Virgil's back that wasn't hidden under John's arm and the three boys sat on the floor in silence, almost as if they were not aware that they were actually surrounded by people. The teacher was desperately trying to keep the boys back, make his way through to the three Tracys whilst trying to calm down Virgil's original partner at the same time. He had only started a few weeks ago, this was definitely a situation he had never expected to have to face.

"_What_ is going on?" A very familiar voice suddenly broke through the crowd, and the boys moved aside to let the teacher through. Stopping short at the sight of the three Tracys on the floor, Samson seemed to immediately know what was happening.

"Boys, back to the locker rooms and get changed, now."

"But, sir..."

"Now!" Knowing that when the man used that tone of voice there was no disobeying him, the rest of the class fled the scene. Taking one look at Virgil's trembling form, John swallowing back tears and Scott's pale face, the man sighed.

"I'm phoning your father."


	5. Chapter 5

**Once again, a huge thank you to all of those of you who have reviewed and are following this, it means a lot. Special thanks to those I can't respond directly too!**

The three boys sat in silence in Samson's office, the man himself having disappeared somewhere out of their hearing in order to make the phone call. Virgil had yet to utter a word, his posture tense and rigid as he sat upright in the chair, Scott's hand clasped in his own. Every time the older boy made to move, Virgil would tighten his grip, his expression not changing yet a hint of fear leaping momentarily into his eyes until he realised that no one was taking his brother. For his part, Scott stayed as close as he possibly could to the boy, his free hand looping around Virgil's shoulders. He had been present when the men had first grabbed Virgil; it was what had led to his own capture. And he could see by the way John kept wiping his eyes that he was remembering the last time their brother had been in the grip of someone other than their family. From what Scott had managed to piece together – for the rest of the family had refused to tell him from beginning to end what had happened whilst he was gone – one of the times someone had grabbed the eleven year-old, John had ended up being shot. No wonder Virgil had reacted to someone grabbing him; it had had dire consequences for both of his older brothers the last couple of times it had happened.

The brothers must have been in the office a short half an hour when the door suddenly burst open and in rushed their father, looking more than frantic. His eyes darted around each of the three boys before he quickly crossed the room, crouching down in front of Virgil, his hands resting on his son's knees. As Virgil swallowed hard, his eyes meeting his father's, the boy felt his resolve crack. He had been trying so hard to keep everything in, to be strong the way Scott and John had been. He couldn't help the nightmares, but he could help how he reacted during the day. And up until now, the artist had prided himself on how well he had handled it. But the lesson had changed something in him, making him realise that he was fooling himself into thinking he was fine. He wasn't, and now he knew it. Scott gave his hand another squeeze at the exact moment Virgil looked into Jeff's eyes and, on seeing the love, compassion and understanding reflected within, he couldn't stop himself. Throwing himself into his father's waiting arms, Virgil dissolved into sobs, huge tremors racking through his body as he let everything out. The tears in the night were merely a reaction, they came before he could properly stop them. But this was the first time since his elder brothers had been released from the hospital that the middle Tracy had chosen to let his guard down. Stroking the back of his head comfortingly, Jeff didn't say anything, only wrapping his arms around his son as Virgil cried. Glancing between Scott and John, he tried to measure how they were holding up, but not able to get a proper look at them over their brother, found he was just having to focus on his middle son instead.

Somehow, he managed to climb to his feet, lifting Virgil up with him, and navigating himself awkwardly into one of the chairs standing by the desk. Pulling Virgil onto his lap, it did not escape the father's notice that the way Virgil's hands were locked around his neck meant he was not going to be moving any time soon. Not that Jeff minded. In fact, if it wasn't for his son's harsh sobs catching at his own heart, he would have said he was relieved. The fact that Virgil was choosing to let his true emotions be shown was a good thing, it meant the boy was no longer bottling things up inside. For even with the return of at least the shadow of the boy Scott had once been over the last few days, Jeff knew that his artistic son was still keeping things in.

The movement finally allowed Scott to slide his hand free, and with a quick check to make sure Virgil hadn't noticed, he shot across the office. John had turned away when Virgil had cracked, but Scott had seen the way his shoulders were shaking slightly with suppressed emotion. Cupping John's chin in his hand, Scott turned his brother's head towards him, concern etched into his face. Tears were sliding thick and fast down John's face, although by the way he kept swallowing hard, Scott knew he was desperately trying to hold them at bay. Trying to offer his brother a watery smile, John quickly turned away, thinking that if he looked Scott in the eye for too long, he too would dissolve. And right now, all the attention needed to be on his little brother, for John too was aware that this was the first time Virgil had given in to the emotion of what had happened. Feeling Scott's arms wrap around him, John leant back against his brother and sighed deeply.

"Do you remember the last time we were both in here?" Scott whispered quietly, following John's gaze and staring out of the window. "After we had that fight?"

As John shakily nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak in case it gave it away to his father that Virgil wasn't the only one in tears, Scott tightened his grip.

"You told me then that everything was going to be okay, that we would work it out, Johnny. That is still true now."

Touched by his brother's words, John's shoulders gave another shake, a fresh set of tears spilling over from his eyes. Twisting around, he gazed at his brother, wondering whether he should feel concerned that Scott wasn't crying. Not that he wanted his big brother to cry, that was something John was far from used to, but he was certain that the older Tracy was holding back himself, despite his words.

"How?" John eventually whispered, his voice cracking even with the one simple word. He didn't understand how everything was going to be okay when Virgil was sobbing his heart out and Scott was doing precisely the opposite.

"I don't know, Johnny," Scott responded quietly, sighing deeply. Despite John's thoughts, Scott wanted to cry. He wanted to scream, to let the world know precisely how unfair it was that this was happening to their family, to him. He simply couldn't protect them anymore, it was as if he didn't know how. But as much as he wanted to let go, to have Jeff hold him as he was his little brother, Scott found it was as if someone had put a plug there. For as much as he wanted it to happen, the emotions would not come, leaving him with the feeling of seeing through someone else's eyes. He didn't feel like he knew who he was anymore.

"Boys?" Hearing his father's quiet voice, Scott turned at the same time as his blond brother, but it still didn't escape his notice that John quickly wiped his sleeve across his face, trying to hide the evidence of his own tears. Scott knew by the slight raising of Jeff's eyebrows that he was not fooled for an instant, but realising that John didn't want him to know, didn't say anything. The boy would come to him when he was ready. Despite everything that had happened, he knew it was his little star gazer that he had hurt the most when he drew away from the family, and despite the close relationship that had emerged over the last few weeks, would risk nothing to jeopardise that.

Jeff was back on his feet, one arm holding Virgil close to his side. For his part, Virgil was leaning completely on their father, tears still trickling down his face, but with less intensity. He looked nothing short of exhausted.

"I'm taking Virg home. The choice is completely up to you. If you want, you can come too, get away from here for a few days."

"I'm staying," John said quickly, almost a bit too quickly in Jeff's opinion. As if sensing how it had come across, he smiled apologetically.

"I'm just getting the hang of this, Dad. I can't stop now." His voice was quiet as he locked eyes with his father, desperately trying to make the man understand what he was saying. The first few days back had been hard, the constant questioning over what he had done to his arm and where he had been over the week or so they were all absent from school had been tough. John couldn't help but think that if he dropped out again now, even for a few days, it would go straight back to that. And if he was completely honest, John wasn't sure he could go through it again. Watching him intently, Scott could almost sense the raging emotions his brother was going through. Not wanting John to be left facing each and every day on his own, the elder brother also made up his mind.

"So am I."

"Are you both sure?"

"Daddy, my head hurts." Virgil's voice came out as barely more than a whisper, his eyes wanting to drift shut where he stood. Having had over a month of nightmares, the emotional overload the eleven year -old was experiencing had taken all the energy out of the boy. He was practically asleep on his feet.

"I'm not surprised, son. You sit back down whilst I go and get you signed out." Nudging Virgil back into the seat, Jeff gave his two elder boys a swift, searching look before he left. He could see the answer clear in John's eyes as to why he wanted to stay; he was just coming to terms with being back. But Scott was just a turmoil of emotions. He couldn't read anything in his eldest child anymore, almost getting confused himself as to what was now an act and what was the real Scott. It was as if the boy was just piling layer upon layer over himself, hiding how he was truly feeling in order to protect his brothers. As much as Jeff wanted to get his son to snap out of it right this _instant_, he knew that was not going to happen. With any luck though, it had just occurred for Virgil.

Watching Virgil shakily grip the edge of the seat, almost as if he was afraid that should he let go, he would fall, Scott softly crossed the room, crouching down in a position that mirrored his father's earlier one.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked softly, his thumbs working over the back of Virgil's hands. The boy gave a shaky nod, and despite his awful appearance, Scott believed him. In the midst of the struggle to keep them open, Virgil's eyes were clearer than they had been for a long time, almost as if he had realised himself how he was feeling. John followed his big brother across the room, resting one hand lightly on Virgil's shoulder as he came to a stop behind the younger boy's chair. Giving it a gentle squeeze, John managed to convey how he was feeling to the young artist in that one simple touch. He had never been the most emotional out of the brothers, his quiet nature meaning he just got on with things without really making a fuss. But it did mean that John was the master of saying things without ever opening his mouth. Strangers to the family saw him as quiet and reserved, yet his brothers knew he was just as loud as the rest of them; it was just a matter of interpreting him.

Jeff was back before they had the chance to say anything more. His tie loosened, his hair a mess from where he had run his hand through it in agitation, he looked a mess. Before he went to Virgil, however, he caught Scott's eye, and with a jerk of his head, signalled that he wanted to have a word. Rising to his feet, Scott exited the office before his father, leaning against the wall.

"Scott, do you think you and John can pick your brothers up? I want to go back to the hospital, see if anyone has some advice on how to help Virg sleep. Something needs to be done."

"Dad, you know we can," Scott said quietly. He couldn't help but wonder whether it was his imagination, or whether Jeff had indeed paused ever so slightly before saying Virgil's name. Almost as if it wasn't just his middle son that he wanted some advice about. However, the fact that his father trusted him to look after his brothers in the way that he always had done brought a ghost of a smile to his lips. It was almost as if Jeff was acknowledging all that Scott had done during his year of absence, and was more than trusting him to be able to hold down the fort for an afternoon, despite everything. Making to move back into the room, Scott jumped when his father stopped him again, concern etched into his face.

"Get there as soon as you can with Gordon, he gets worried if I get caught in traffic. Although," he added, almost as an afterthought as his hand once more dragged its way through his hair, glancing into the office as he did so, "Worried might be an understatement."

"I'll sort it, Dad," Scott said, already forming a plan to get to his brother on time. It was one of the lovely things about having a free pass to walk out of lessons. Not that he was going to tell his father that, though. Jeff would certainly not approve if he knew his son was skipping lessons, especially if it was to go and do something his father himself had asked him to do.

"Just take care of Virg." And with that, Scott strode back into the office, crouching down in front of his brother again. Sensing more than seeing his father following him in, Scott carefully slipped one hand behind the artist, nudging him to his feet.

"C'mon, bro, Dad's taking you home."

"Don't leave me," Virgil whispered, leaning against Scott as exhaustion made his words slur.

"I'm not leaving you, Virg. I'll be home later, I promise. I have to stay here for now. Come on, Virgie, let Dad take you home. Please?"

"You'll be there soon?"

"As soon as I can, little brother." Practically passing his brother over to his father, Scott found that he was biting his lip as Virgil was led out, the angle making it more than apparent that Jeff was half carrying him.

"You okay, Scotty?" Hearing John's quiet voice, Scott spun on the spot, trying to hide his concern, but knowing that his eyes were giving away how he was feeling. Whilst Virgil looked a mess now, Scott could only hope that this was the turning point for the boy, and that a few days at home would help the artist more than words can say.

"What did Dad want?"

"Oh nothing much, you know what he is like at the moment. Come on, we've got lessons to get to." Making to walk out of the door, not quite sure why he wasn't telling John about their father's request, Scott paused, waiting for his brother to catch up. He already planned to get out of school early so that he would reach Gordon on time, but knew that given the chance, John would do the same thing, although the consequences would be far more serious. Now what he needed was a way of making the blond accept that he wouldn't be getting the bus home again.

"One moment, John, I want a word."

Practically jumping, Scott had completely forgotten that Samson had been in the room for the whole thing. The man had a strange expression on his face, and Scott couldn't help but wonder just how much the teacher was aware of. He knew that the man had been more than involved with everything that had happened and, considering the look he was giving the youngest brother in the room, Scott wondered if he knew more than he was letting on.

"I'll wait."

"No you won't, you have lessons to get to. John will be along in a moment. Off you go, Scott."

"But I-,"

"Now, Tracy. Don't make me tell you again." Watching him with a pointed look, Brian was glad when Scott sullenly scuffed his way from the room. He knew that given the circumstances Scott couldn't deal with the general school structure at the moment, but Brian knew he also needed some sort of normality. If he had backed down then, he would have crossed the boundary between teacher and friend. And given what he needed to talk to John about, he needed to be firmly in his teacher's role. Nudging the chair that Virgil had recently vacated, Brian motioned for John to sit, noting how uncertain he seemed as he did so.

"I heard what happened with Mr Flich."

"He was completely out of order!" John exclaimed angrily. In the worry about Virgil, he had completely forgotten about Flich's threats. Now, however, he suddenly realised that he could potentially be facing a month's worth of detentions for his behaviour.

"No, John, he was not. It is his room, and you disobeyed him." Holding up his hand as John opened his mouth to protest, Brian quickly continued. "Given the circumstances, however, I've managed to get him to lessen it. You'll have to stay after school for this week, starting today. But that will be it and no more will be said about it."

"But I-"

"No more will be said about it, is that clear, John?"

"Yes, Sir." His voice barely audible, John went back to studying the floor. He should have known that no matter what the circumstances were, he couldn't do something like that and expect to get away with it. Especially considering they had been striving for a return to normality. If that was to happen, the boys had to be basically treated like any other student.

"I've spoken to your father, and he knows that you are staying tonight. He will come and collect you at half four, understood?" As John glumly nodded, Brian felt his stance soften. "John, look at me."

Waiting until the upset blond had complied with his instructions, he leant forward in his chair, watching him in concern.

"What's happening between you and Harry Spencer? You know you can tell me."

For a moment, John was tempted to tell him everything. With Virgil out of school for the rest of the week at least, his brother didn't have to worry about him getting caught up in the middle of it all. But one thing he had learnt the hard way about Spencer was that the guy was patient. He knew how to bide his time, wait until someone was on their own thinking they were safe before lashing out. Even if Virgil didn't come back for a month, John knew that Spencer would be waiting if John said anything.

"Nothing, sir. Nothing at all."

"Very well, off you go." Sitting back with a frown, Brian knew full well John was lying to him. He had pulled a bullet from the blond's shoulder; he knew John's reactions pretty well by now. And he had seen the flash of emotions behind his eyes, the slight hesitation before he answered. But if the young Tracy was not prepared to say anything, then Brian could not force the issue. He would just keep a closer eye on the boy.

John paused for a moment outside the door, his mind racing. The last hour almost seemed to be a bit of a blur, John's mind becoming a whirlwind as he tried to process what had happened. Walking slowly down the corridor, paying no attention at all to where he was going, he was not prepared for the hand that suddenly came shooting out of nowhere, spinning John around until his back was slammed against the row of lockers.

"What were you saying, Tracy?" Trying to pry Spencer's fist away from his collar, John didn't answer, instead trying to force himself to stay calm. In this position, his arm was protected, but John was worried about what the older boy would do if he tried to move.

"Nothing."

"So why were you and Scott in Samson's office? That guy saw us earlier. What. Did. You. Say?" His fist twisting with each word, Spencer soon had John completely pinned, the handle of the locker behind him digging uncomfortably into his back.

"I told you, I didn't say anything. It was about something else."

"What?"

"None of your damn business!" the fourteen year-old said angrily, trying to straighten his position so that he was able to look at Spencer head on. The hand that slammed loudly into the locker right next to his head, however, made him shrink back again.

"Watch your mouth, Blondie. And if I get a whiff that anything has been said, well, that kid brother of yours won't be so fiery."

To John's relief, Spencer finally let go, stalking off in the opposite direction, whistling merrily as he casually knocked a load of books out of a younger boy's arms. Sliding down the lockers slightly, John shut his eyes, trying to regain his breath. It was going to be one of those days.

TBTB

Scott waited until the end of lunchtime before he made his move. He didn't want to disappear before then in case John tried to find him, and he was thankful that he had stayed. He had bumped into the blond in the corridor, and on seeing his glum look, had managed to get the story out about John having to stay for detention for a week. Whilst he felt for his brother, it certainly made his job of skipping out easier – John wouldn't be needing to get the bus either so would never know his big brother hadn't. As the bell rang for the start of last period, Scott moved slowly, trying to kill a little time as he made his way to reception. From there, signing out was relatively easy, especially given that he already had a pass that excused him from being in lessons. One quick glance at the system after entering his name and the receptionist had almost thrown him out, as if she was scared that he was suddenly going to have a breakdown if she didn't let him go immediately. Whilst the normal school buses were not there, Scott had been in charge of his four younger brothers for long enough to know that one would be along just down the road within a short space of time. After all, this was not the first time over the last year that Scott had skipped class in order to make sure he got to Gordon on time. It was amazing how many times he had gone home with a "headache" over the last few months, mainly on the days where his little brother wanted to be able to make his swim practice on time. It was just a matter of telling John and Virgil they needed to pick Alan up whilst he went straight off with Gordon, and his brothers were none the wiser that Scott was leaving school almost an hour earlier than he should have in order to make it happen.

The ride to the youngster's school was a relatively straight forward one, giving Scott some time to himself. He adored being around his family, and the comfort and support they offered him in each of their own ways whilst not making him feel like he was being pushed was something beyond words. But even so, finding that he was unable to properly express himself, Scott found that he wanted to be alone more and more. He wanted to have the chance to let his defences down, to not have to pretend that he was coping. He was fed up - even after just one weekend - of putting on a cheerful exterior whilst it felt like he was slowly dying inside. And more than anything, he wanted someone to realise that he was putting on an act, to get him to open up. His dad was partly managing it, but with having to run around and make sure the younger ones were also alright, he had his hands full.

Sighing deeply, Scott ran a hand across the back of his neck wearily as the bus pulled in at the stop he needed. Somehow, the fact that the sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining down on him just made Scott scowl even more. What right did the weather have to be cheerful whilst he felt like it should be thunderstorms the whole time? He had timed it perfectly, however, and knowing that Gordon would be waiting inside, wriggled his way through the mass of children flying out of the main doors. This was a corridor familiar to him. More than once, the prankster of the family had overstepped his bounds within class, and with Jeff unavailable, it had fallen to Scott to have to deal with the seven year-old. Pushing open the door, Scott cleared his throat softly, smiling at the look of delight on Gordon's face.

"Scotty!" The teacher who had been sitting calmly at her desk practically left her chair in fright at Gordon's yell, the volume being somewhat loud even for Gordon. Catching his rushing brother around the middle, Scott spun them both on the spot before pulling his brother into him and giving him a quick hug.

"You got your things, kiddo? We still have to pick up Allie."

"Where's Dad?"

"Virgil wasn't feeling well so Dad took him home." Immediately freezing, Gordon turned on the spot, fixing Scott with a look that unnerved the elder brother. It made Gordon look about seventeen, not seven. It was that look, not to mention his father's earlier comment about Gordon getting concerned, that made Scott realise that, despite his young age, Gordon was suffering just as much as any of them when it came to dealing with things. Only because of his normal hyperactivity, even a subdued Gordon was more than a match for any other child his age, meaning it had slipped under the radar slightly.

"He's okay, Gordy, honest. He just had a headache, so you're gonna have to be real quiet when we get home. Feel up to the challenge? You can make it a game; see how quiet you can be."

"But quiet is boring," Gordon moaned, turning back and eventually picking up his bag before crossing back over to Scott. One look at his brother's face, however, and he backed down. He knew more than they realised. And when Scott said Virgil had a headache, Gordon knew that it was because something had happened to give the artist one. Virgil never seemed to get headaches, at least, not that the younger boy could remember. And given the fact that his dad wasn't prepared to leave his middle son for a few moments in order to come and collect the pair of them, something was wrong.

Not saying anything though, Gordon just allowed Scott to bundle him onto the bus, keeping uncharacteristically still as they made their way towards their younger brother. In no time at all, they had pulled up outside, and Scott was unable to keep the small smile off his face. If there was one thing he did miss doing since their father had returned to them, it was picking up Alan. The look on the toddler's face as he made his way over to Scott made everything better.

Today was no exception, Alan yelling in delight with a volume that could match Gordon's as he ran straight into Scott's arms, almost falling into them in his excitement. After eventually calming him down enough so he would stop squirming, Scott turned to face the door, only to find a very familiar teacher watching him with a curious expression. Trying to keep his face neutral, Scott nodded at him, making to move past.

"You must have made very quick time." Brian said calmly, his tone neutral. Scott, however, was not fooled for an instant. He knew full well that Samson would realise he must have skipped his last lesson in order to have already picked Gordon up and be here at this time. Giving him a small smile to try to avoid any further questions, Scott tried not to roll his eyes as the voice called him back again.

"Keep an eye on John. Something is going on with that boy." Seeing Scott's expression, as if clearly saying that he knew something was going on because he too was part of it, Brian shook his head. "Not that, something else. Something at school. Just...keep an eye on him." And with that, he turned his back on the three children, a clear sign that he wouldn't stop them.

Leading the way outside, Scott found that he was ignoring Gordon's excited babble and Alan's squirming as he dumped the pair of them on the seats. Biting his lip, he mulled over what Samson had just told him. Something else was going on with John? Scott knew that the blond had been troubled by this morning's events: Virgil had taken everyone by surprise. But what else could be happening? One thing was for sure, though. Whatever it was, Scott was going to find out and put a stop to it. The whole family had enough on their plates as it was, they didn't need something else going on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much again for those wonderful reviews, especially the ones I can't respond too! Sunny - definitely no need to apologise! Congratulations big time, enjoy all the sleepless nights! :)**

By deliberately letting Alan walk, Scott managed to make the three of them miss the first bus that had arrived when they needed to change. Now that he had his brothers he was in no rush to get home, knowing that if they made it back too early, Jeff would be suspicious of how his son had managed to collect the younger ones and get home so soon. If he was in, that was. Scott knew his father planned to stop by the hospital, but he wasn't sure whether he would take Virgil with him or not. Scott was no fool; he knew the visit would not just be about his artistic brother, but about all of them. After all, it wasn't just Virgil who wasn't sleeping; John was suffering from nightmares in the same way. The younger boy had just cracked first. And whilst he knew that John was exceptionally talented at keeping his emotions hidden - his behaviour after their mother's death had shown that - Scott also knew that it wouldn't take much more before they were in for a repeat performance. Samson's words about something else being wrong with the blond were still playing on his mind, and as he carried Alan down the street towards the house, Scott realised just how much he had pulled away from his brothers. There had been a time when he could see everything that was going on with them, whether they wanted him to know or not, but this time, he was ashamed to admit that he hadn't noticed anything.

"Grandma!"

Hearing Gordon's yell, Scott pulled himself free from his musings just in time to see the redhead make to run down the road in excitement. Images of the man gripping Virgil suddenly sprang to mind and he leant forward, grabbing hold of the back of Gordon's collar and yanking him to a sharp stop, managing to keep hold of Alan and his bag at the same time. As Gordon gave a small cry of surprise, and, to Scott's shame, pain, the older boy swallowed hard, knowing he was going to have to defuse the situation quickly before it got out of control. As Alan whimpered slightly in his arms, he knew that his actions had upset both of his little brothers.

"I'm sorry, Gordy. Please, just... just don't run off."

"That hurt, Scotty!" Gordon responded indignantly, tears still swimming in his eyes. It was more from the surprise than the actual pain; Gordon had not expected his brother's reaction. Scott had always let him run around, providing it was within reason. And running up the path to their house which was now barely twenty paces in front of them was well within reason. Gordon was sure of it.

"I'm sorry, buddy." Scott's tone seemed to reflect the sincerity of his words.

Gordon pouted at his brother for another long moment before suddenly grinning. Seeing the trademark look return to Gordon's face, Scott smiled gently down at him. He really didn't need Gordon mad at him, especially as he was hoping the kid would keep quiet about how quickly Scott had arrived at the school. Waiting until they were another few steps closer, Scott swallowed hard, shutting his eyes.

"Go on then, Gords, race you to the door."

As Gordon hurtled off with a yell of delight, Scott opened his eyes again, trying to keep his breathing under control. He knew nothing could happen to his brother - the front door was in sight - but somehow, seeing Gordon run from him made him have this sudden irrational fear that someone was going to spring out and seize his brother.

"S'kay, 'Scotty." Wrapping his small arms around Scott's neck in a firmer position, Alan laid his head on his big brother's shoulder, sensing the distress being emitted from his oldest sibling. "Gordy too fast n'way."

"You can't beat him either then, Sprout?" Scott asked gently, feeling a rush of love towards Alan. The baby of the family had always managed to make him feel better, even before all of this. It was Alan who had made Scott smile during the days of wondering whether their father remembered they existed, Alan who never gave him any grief about having to either get up in the morning or go to bed. And even now, it was Alan soothing his fears, even if he didn't know it. For Scott knew he couldn't hold onto the feeling of anxiety whilst he was holding his youngest brother. Alan was far more perceptive than the rest of the family realised, and Scott knew immediately his anxiety about Gordon going beyond his reach was being picked up by the toddler.

"Na ah," Alan agreed seriously, pulling away to regard the back of his immediate older sibling's head bouncing impatiently on the doorstep. "He quick."

"That he is," Scott murmured softly, also watching the redhead. He had just made his way towards the front door, trying to use his body to swing his bag around so he could reach his key without having to put Alan down, when the door suddenly opened. And just like that, Scott paid proper attention to Gordon's previous comment.

"Grandma! What are you doing here? Is it Virg? Is he okay?"

"Now, now, Scott," Grandma chastised gently, reaching out to take Alan from his brother after stepping sharply to the side as Gordon ran into the house. He didn't get very far though, instead hopping from foot to foot impatiently just inside the doorway at his grandmother's sharp command.

"Your brother is just fine. He is in bed. So I need all of you..." Here she paused, looking pointedly at Gordon and making sure she had his full attention before continuing. "...to stay nice and quiet whilst he gets a little sleep."

"We'll be like mice," Gordon promised seriously. Within a moment, however, he had risen up on his tiptoes, his hands under his chin as he went sneaking into the lounge, making small squeaking noises as he did so and causing Alan to giggle as he resumed his previous position and wrapped his arms around his grandmother's neck, snuggling into her sense of familiarity and safety.

Watching Gordon disappear with raised eyebrows and a hint of a smile, Scott sensed his grandmother's piercing gaze on him. Shifting uncomfortably for a minute, he eventually turned to face her. She was watching him with a curious expression on her face, almost as if she was trying to see into his soul. And, having being on the receiving end of that expression more than once before in his life, Scott knew that if he gave her long enough, she would know precisely how he was feeling. But despite wanting someone to notice that he was just putting on an act, Scott didn't know how he felt about his grandmother being that person. She had a very no-nonsense approach to life and Scott could only wonder whether she would properly understand.

"Where's Dad?" he asked eventually, knowing that if he didn't break the silence they could well be standing here all night. She was a patient woman like that.

"He went to collect some more dressings for John. And then he is going to pick your brother up from school."

Knowing immediately by her tone that she knew John was in detention, Scott bit his lip. Their grandmother hated it when her boys got into trouble at school, Scott's brief spell of fighting had led him to more disapproving looks than he cared to remember. But given the reasoning behind John ending up in detention, he only hoped she would back up a little. The blond had enough going on – apparently more than Scott knew about – he didn't need to face the wrath of Ruth Tracy as well.

"Go easy on him, Grandma," he said softly, hoping that it didn't sound like he was trying to interfere. That was another thing his grandmother was very particular about.

"Your brother should know better than to break the rules," Grandma began sternly. As Scott opened his mouth to protest, she softened, glancing at Alan with a small smile. "But he was only looking out for his brothers. He'll hear no more about it from me."

"Thanks, Grandma." Darting forward, Scott planted a kiss on her cheek, ruffled Alan's hair and bounded up the stairs, albeit quietly. Darting into his own room for a moment to drop his bag, Scott was back out again in a flash. Silently, he pushed open Virgil's bedroom door, squinting into the darkened room. For the first time in a long time, there was no restless moving from the artist, no frantic muttering. Instead, there was just the steady breathing that followed Virgil into a deep sleep and, for the first time in a long time, Scott knew that his brother had found the type of rest that made him impossible to get back up again.

Tiptoeing out, Scott almost yelled out loud in surprise to find that his grandmother had also come up the stairs and was waiting just outside Virgil's door for her eldest grandson. She knew full well why Scott would have gone straight up the stairs; he wouldn't have believed that his brother would be alright until he had seen it for himself. And considering what Jeff had told her about the breakthroughs that all the boys seemed to have managed to make over the last few days, whether they be small ones or large ones, she knew that only a couple of days ago Scott wouldn't even have reacted to Virgil coming home from school. The teenager himself didn't seem to realise the change that had taken place in him. She could tell that he was still hiding everything away; that he was feeling as lost and insecure as Gordon, perhaps even Alan. But the very fact that he was now trying to at least be there for his brothers showed he had overcome something. Even if it was something in his mind, it was still something.

Hearing the door open once more, she gave Scott another searching look before disappearing back down the stairs, anxious that the rest of the family should remain quiet in order to let her middle grandson get the rest he so desperately needed. With any luck, now that Virgil had decided to let things out in the open, it would be a new start for him. She had spoken to Jeff right after he had spoken to the nurse, and with the recommendation of keeping him off school for a week and letting him take scheduled naps, the child might well be on his way to making a comeback.

John was the first one through the door, his head down as he tried to slip in unseen. His father was right behind him and Ruth knew immediately by the expression on her son's face that John had once again withdrawn into himself. She wasn't surprised. The star-loving Tracy was never one for expressing his emotions, and no doubt he felt it was more than unfair having to stay behind after school just because he had wanted to make sure his brother was alright. Catching Jeff's eye, she nodded her understanding that nothing more was to be said on the matter. Luckily, with his usual perfect timing, Gordon decided to break the tension in the household. Throwing himself out of the lounge door, he practically bowled John over as he latched himself onto his brother's waist. What surprised both his father and grandmother, however, was that he seemed to have really taken to heart what she had said about keeping quiet so Virgil could get some rest. Despite the ferocity of his attack, it was done without the usual yells that accompanied it, meaning John was all that bit more taken by surprise.

"Come on, John, we need to change that dressing again, son." Deciding it was about time to rescue his second born from his little fish, Jeff jerked his head towards the stairs, a clear indication that he wanted John to go up them. Somehow disentangling himself from Gordon, John dumped his bag where he was standing before promptly picking it up again at his grandmother's disapproving tut, then walked up the stairs, all without saying a word.

"How is he, Jeff?"

"Quiet. And angry. I can tell that he thinks it is all unfair. But I can't expect them to go back to normality if all the rules are going to be broken in order to accommodate them." The boys hadn't realised how much the school had bent the rules to allow them back, changes taking place in nearly every lesson to make sure nothing was said that would provoke a reaction. Jeff knew that was the reason why it had taken so long for Virgil to break down, but at the same time, he knew it had been inevitable.

"He'll get there, Jefferson. They all will. You included."

"Thanks, Mom," Jeff responded, glancing away and letting his eyes flicker into the lounge, smiling at the sight of Alan playing contently. At least that was one son he didn't have too many worries about. "I'd best go and sort him out."

Setting off up the stairs after his elder blond, Jeff didn't see his mother's look as she watched him go. Little did he realise that she knew that his children weren't the only ones bottling things up. Reaching the top of the stairs, Jeff paused in surprise when he caught sight of Scott hovering uncertainly outside of Virgil's door. Smiling gently at his son, he made sure to keep his voice low in order not to awaken the sleeping boy within.

"Any problems picking up the boys, Scott?"

"Nope." Scott responded quickly. Jeff was sure that the answer came a little too quickly, however, not to mention the way his eldest boy suddenly cast a very guilty look towards Gordon and Alan's bedroom door. Deciding that having Virgil and John playing up for now was enough, Jeff let it go. He would get the full story when Scott was ready to give it. Either that, or Gordon could be easily bribed. Nodding, Jeff smiled again, before moving towards John's door. He only hoped that John had calmed down a little. Whenever Scott, Virgil or even Gordon were angry, the household heard it. When it was John, on the other hand, they _felt_ it. The simmering fury seemed to pour from him, yet he never uttered a word. Crossing an angry John was a scary thing indeed, even for his father.

However, as he pushed open the door, Jeff knew that he was in luck. The blond was perched on the edge of the bed, gazing with unseeing eyes out of the window. It was clear that his mind was far away, but rather than the angry aura that had seemed to accompany them home, instead there was a sense of quiet acceptance.

"You ready to change the bandage again, Johnny?" Jeff asked softly, making sure he kept his voice down so as not to disturb his sleeping son. John sighed deeply, but turned to face his father all the same.

"How long do we have to keep doing this?" he said quietly, sounding resigned and fed up. Wondering what had managed to get his son feeling so defeated, Jeff perched on the edge of the bed next to him, one hand rubbing up and down between John's shoulder blades.

"Not much longer, son. You know the nurse thinks you'll be able to leave the dressings off by the end of the month. And that is only a week and a half away. What's this really about, Johnny?"

"Nothing." John responded, sighing again. However, his father was not fooled for an instant. Neither of the boys was aware quite how much John mirrored Scott when he had something to hide, and his tone had been the exact copy of his older brother's not five minutes ago. Giving him a moment to see if he would change his mind and open up, Jeff decided not to press the matter. John had only just calmed down; his father had no desire to rile him up again.

"Come on then, let's get this over and done with." Standing up again, Jeff waited until John had also risen to his feet before he turned away, reaching into the small bag he had with him and pulling out one of the clean dressings. By the time he had turned back, John had lifted his shirt, and reaching out a hand, Jeff frowned in confusion.

"Where did you get that bruise, John?" he asked firmly, his tone quite clearly stating that he wouldn't take silence or a dismissal as an answer this time.

"What bruise?" John attempted to twist around in order to see his back, but was unable to go that far. Right across the centre of his back, however, a nasty streak of colour contrasted against his pale skin. Wincing, he realised that it was the exact place where the handle of the locker had dug into him. Not that he was going to tell his father that, but John recognised the tone of voice Jeff was using. He would have to say something.

"I hit the bedside table last night," he invented, somewhat wildly. For a moment, Jeff merely frowned at him, but then his eyes softened in compassion and he smiled gently at his son. It wouldn't surprise him at all; the young teenager had been extremely restless the night before. He had been close to falling out of bed completely by the time Jeff had managed to wake him.

"Come on then, star-man. Let's get this changed and then you can get on with whatever it is you need to do tonight."

With a sigh, John moved towards his father, fully tugging his shirt off as he did so. The sooner the end of the month got here, the better. For some reason, it was as if his physical injury was holding back the healing of the mental scars. As soon as he was free of having to change the dressing and be excused from certain activities, the better. For in John's mind, once he was physically recovered, then he could begin the mental recovery.

TBTBTB

Scott paused outside of the classroom door, bag half slung over one shoulder as he twisted back to wait for John. Since their drama three days ago, the change in Flich's attitude towards the young genius had surprised even his brother. He made every excuse he possibly could to keep John behind after each lesson. Having told his friends that he would catch up with them, Scott decided he would wait and walk with his younger brother, knowing that he might be needed in order to calm the blond down again. Virgil had been kept off school for the last few days, and even Scott had to admit that the change which had taken place in the artist was phenomenal. He had made it through two out of the past three nights without the nightmares, and the rest had done him wonders. It was now not unusual to hear some sort of melody playing through the house, accompanied by Virgil's laughter as Gordon tried to join in. It was the change they had all been hoping for, and thankfully, it had occurred.

Hearing the door open behind him, Scott couldn't help but grin at the put-out expression on John's face. The younger boy simply didn't know how to react to this. Unlike Scott, John had never been on the wrong side of a teacher before: his grades blew them away, he kept his head down and never got into trouble. Now, however, he was seeing a whole other side to school life.

"You okay?" Scott asked gently, his amusement barely concealed. He knew he should be offering support to John, but the fact it had taken fourteen years before a teacher didn't like him meant the older brother was finding it somewhat hard to sympathise. He didn't want to know how many members of staff he had managed to cross during his time at this school alone, and Flich had had it in for the elder brother ever since he had started teaching him.

"I'm fine," John muttered, not catching Scott's eye. He knew full well how funny his brother was finding this, and whilst it was nice to have some of the old Scott back, John didn't see why it had to be at his expense. "C'mon, I've got history to get to."

Still smiling slightly at the indignant tone in John's voice, Scott began leading the way down the corridor. He knew John would have calmed down quite significantly within the next few steps, and sure enough, the blond suddenly exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he did so. Well, one shoulder more than the other.

"Now you're fine," Scott said softly, catching John's eye. Before his brother could respond, however, his eyes suddenly narrowed as he came to a stop in the middle of the corridor.

"Johnny?"

"I've just remembered I left something behind," John said frantically, his eyes seeming to dart everywhere as if he was desperately trying not to look at a certain point. "You go on, you'll be late otherwise. I'll catch you later, Scott."

And with that, the younger Tracy practically turned on his heel and almost bolted back up the corridor. Staring after him in astonishment, Scott contemplated going after him, but he knew that if John didn't want him to know something, there was no way he would be able to get him to open up. With a slight shrug, he set off back down the corridor himself. What he missed, however, was the tall figure of Harry Spencer leaning casually against John's locker, a slight smile playing across his lips as he watched the fast retreating blond.

Pushing John's unusual behaviour from his mind, Scott instead picked up his pace as he approached the changing rooms. Gym was the only class he was completely comfortable with nowadays. He relished being able to build up his strength, not wanting to be the weak boy any more, but someone who people would think twice about before they went for either him or his brothers. Not to mention it was the only time he really was able to push himself physically and therefore distract himself from the plaguing thoughts that otherwise occupied his mind. It probably helped that, unlike Virgil, Scott had Samson as his teacher, meaning everything they did was practically tailored to him, making sure nothing happened that could provoke a reaction such as the one the younger Tracy had experienced.

"So you are deciding to join us today, then?" Hearing the light, teasing tone of his best friend, Scott quickly crossed the room, dodging the various boys getting ready for the class. Within a matter of seconds he had reached Toby, who in turn stretched out a hand, slapping Scott on the back in a friendly manner.

"Thought you must have got lost or something. You were right behind me one minute and the next..."

"Sorry, I was..."

"Waiting for John, yeah I know. Come on, man, you better hurry up or Samson will have your head."

Smirking slightly, Scott began to change. He highly doubted that. He still didn't know precisely what it was that the man had done for the family, the refusal to tell the oldest brother exactly what had occurred had kept most of the teacher's involvement hidden, but he saw the way John and Virgil now reacted to him. Heck, even Gordon would spent hours going on about the teacher. And whilst it really didn't take a lot to get Gordon talking at full speed, Scott knew he must have spent a considerable amount of time in the man's presence in order to be able to go on for that length of time.

"Alright you lot, listen up and shut up!"

Silence fell across the locker room as Samson's loud voice gave away his arrival almost before he came into sight, and Scott began to change, only keeping half an ear on what was being said. He knew it was something about tryouts for the football team, followed by information on where people needed to go to sign up for track, but Scott knew that anything he missed Toby would be able to fill him in on afterwards. That was one of the more helpful things about having a sports fanatic as a best friend. The guy hung onto Samson's words almost more than Gordon did.

Smiling at his train of thought, Scott tuned back into the end of Samson's speech as he was tying his shoes. The man was going on about how important it was for the boys to keep their grades up if they wanted to make the team, for he would have no one on there that didn't pull their weight. Even then, Scott was only half-listening, instead having one ear on the conversation the two boys in front of him were having. They were attempting to whisper, but judging by the way Samson's voice faltered after only a few more words, Scott knew that the man could hear them from the other side of the room as well as he could.

"...so how are we going to get in if we don't revise?" One was in the process of whispering very loudly, unaware that the whole room had turned to watch the pair of them, waiting for them to realise that they had been caught out.

"We'll do it how we normally do it," his friend responded, his voice just as audible.

"What? We'll blag them?"

Swallowing hard, Scott suddenly found himself sitting down on the edge of the bench, noting how dry his throat had gone. Squeezing his eyes shut, he barely noticed that he was practically hyperventilating. It was the first time he had heard that name since everything had happened, the word being strictly forbidden in the Tracy household.

"... Scott? Dude, what's wrong? Scott, can you hear me? Sir! Sir, something is wrong!"

Scott felt as though Toby's words were muffled, as if someone had stuffed his ears full of cotton wool or he was underwater. His palms were sweaty as he gripped on tightly to the edge of the bench, unaware that he was rocking back and forth as his breathing got quicker and quicker.

"Tracy! Come on, Tracy, don't do this. Breathe, Scott, breathe. It's over, you're safe. Everyone is safe."

"Sir, what _are_ you talking about?"

"Toby, do something useful and go and get the nurse rather than standing there gawking, boy."

Beginning to panic about the fact that not enough oxygen seemed to be reaching his lungs again, Scott completely lost his sense of reality. He could feel Blag's hands gripping around his throat, promising that he was never going to let the terrified boy go as Scott panted for air. Gasping frantically, Scott managed to force his eyes open to see Samson crouched in front of him, strong hands gripping onto his shoulders as he tried to get through to the panicked boy. Thanks to the boys' bad whispering, he had heard every word which was said. He had been moving across the room almost before he had finished his sentence, reaching Scott just as his legs had given way. He had seen Virgil's reaction a few days before. And sure enough, the Tracy brothers had a habit of reacting in the same manner.

"You're safe, Scott."

Scott, however, didn't hear him. He could see Samson's mouth moving, yet no words seemed to be coming out, almost as if someone had muted the whole room. Locking eyes frantically with the concerned man, Scott opened his own mouth as if to say something. He never got the chance, however, before the floor rushed up to meet him and he pitched forward off the bench, not noticing Samson's hands stopping him hitting the floor as he surrendered to the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you again for all of those lovely reviews, especially the ones I can't respond directly too!**

The young paramedic couldn't keep the frown off his face as his colleague pulled their wailing vehicle into the parking lot. He'd only had twenty minutes left of his shift when the call came in and now they were whizzing off to a school. He hated getting callouts to schools, they were full of nosy children who wanted to see whether he was going to do something horrible to someone who was supposed to be their friend. Not that he had any trouble with an audience; people tended to have this habit of collapsing when there were lots of people around. No, it was only having an audience full of children who really didn't understand what was happening, and who didn't respond when they were told to move out of the way, not realising it could potentially mean life or death for someone.

Hearing the light cough of his colleague, the young man grinned ruefully as he opened his door. His friend was no happier about the situation than he was, but as he reached over to grab his bag, he knew that he was dealing with it better.

"This way, sirs. Please, you must hurry!"

Seeing a frantic looking woman practically sprint out of one of the buildings, the pair shared one last exasperated glance and jogged after her. Another problem with schools was that the teachers all tended to over-react. Possibly because they were responsible for someone else's child, and parents tended to freak out a little if they weren't there when their child was hurt. But it often meant they received callouts for something no more serious than a twisted ankle. And when he had only fifteen minutes and counting left of his shift, the young paramedic would not be happy if it was just some whining teenager with a slight sprain. Again.

Jogging through the twisting corridors, the young man was not the slightest bit surprised to find himself heading towards the place where he knew the gym was to be found. Nine-tenths of all the callouts to schools seemed to happen there, the Science labs being the other location. The woman pointed them in the direction of the locker room and the two men thanked her before beginning to push their way through an excited bundle of boys who looked to be around sixteen. Seeing the top of a teacher's head, the paramedic cleared his throat loudly to try and get his attention.

"Boys! Out! Now!"

Thankful for the yell as the boys scurried out of the way, the man dropped his bag on the floor, only to find that something was playing on his mind as the teacher looked up. He was certain he had seen the man somewhere before. He saw a lot of patients, relatives and such like, but there was something about this man that was sticking in his mind, as if he had been involved in one of the more unusual callouts he had been to. And judging by the look he was receiving in return, he knew that the man was thinking something along the same lines.

"Tim?" Jumping at the teacher's use of his name, Tim frowned. There really was something about him that was amazingly familiar, something niggling away at the back of his mind, something quite recent... And that was when the man stood up, revealing the crumpled figure on the floor. Tim's jaw hit the floor in astonishment.

"Scott Tracy!" Dropping to his knees, Tim sighed deeply as he pulled his bag towards him and immediately began checking Scott's airways and vitals. "One day, kiddo, I'm going to meet you when you are conscious or not screaming my ambulance to pieces."

"Sir? Is he alright? What did he mean?" Glancing up, Samson caught sight of Toby hovering in the background. The rest of the boys had done what they were told and left, but the teacher knew that Toby was only concerned for his best friend. What surprised him, however, was that the boy seemed to have no knowledge of what had befallen the Tracy family.

"What happened?" Tim barked out suddenly, spinning around to face Samson. As the other man scurried out to fetch the stretcher and whatever other equipment Tim felt they would need to move Scott, it suddenly hit Tim who the teacher was.

"Brian Samson!" he exclaimed suddenly, one hand resting on Scott to monitor his pulse. He hadn't even given the teacher a chance to answer his previous question, but as Samson nodded, he knew precisely where he had seen him before. "You were in the boys' room, weren't you? Were you not there when Jeff found Scott?"

"Sir! What happened to Scott?"

"It's alright, Toby. Sit down for a moment, you are looking pale." Forcing Toby onto the bench, Samson turned back to look at Scott and Tim.

"Someone mentioned Blag's name."

Letting a low whistle slide between his teeth, Tim glanced again at Scott.

"Always were one for extreme reactions, weren't you, Scott?" With his fingers placed against Scott's neck, Tim softly counted under his breath, ignoring Samson's attempts to make the other boy feel better. "Looks like the kid was right, after all."

"What's that?"

"The kid. What's his name? Virgil? He was worried about post traumatic stress when we got Scott back to the hospital. Judging by his racing pulse, Scott has been on borrowed energy for a while."

"They've all been struggling. Virgil half-collapsed the other day, he's been at home all week. You should see how stressed Jeff is."

"Has anyone told him?" Tim asked half-heartedly, unhooking a stethoscope and beginning to check Scott's lungs. From what he had been told he was sure that there wasn't anything physically wrong with the boy, just a combination of stress, fear and fatigue, but even so, he wanted to be sure.

"The school is trying to get in touch with him now. Apparently he has just left his office, but they have other numbers for him."

"Who's coming with him?" Tim asked distractedly; too busy checking on his young patient to be paying proper attention to who else was in the room. Cursing, Samson glanced around himself. Normally, he wouldn't even hesitate, but he knew that he would be needed here, especially if word got out to John that his brother had collapsed. Samson had wanted to send a message to the boy immediately, only reconsidered. They were all having a hard enough time as it was, something like this was definitely better coming from his father. But knowing what schools were like, Samson knew there was a good chance that John would find out anyway, and if Jeff was already at the hospital, Samson wanted to still be here in case the boy needed him.

"I'll go." The young teacher who had been in charge of Virgil's class had silently arrived whilst the two men had been discussing the Tracys. He couldn't help but feel like he had failed when the boy had almost collapsed in his class, despite the constant reassurances from his boss that he had done all that he could. This time, however, the young man was determined that he wouldn't let anyone else down.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Tim put the stethoscope away again as his colleague wheeled the trolley in, nodding to confirm that everything was ready for the teenager. Between the two of them, they lifted Scott onto it, immediately setting up some of their equipment to help monitor him. Pushing it in front of him, Tim paused as he reached the doorway.

"Make sure Jeff eats." And with that, Tim was gone, rushing the unconscious sixteen year-old to the hospital for the second time in just over a month.

TBTBTB

His fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel, Jeff found that he was clicking his tongue impatiently as the traffic crawled forward just enough to warrant him moving at all. He could hear his phone beeping somewhere in the back, but the blasted thing had practically died as soon as he had got into the car, hence he'd tossed it into the back. He had been forced to go into the office for the first time today since he had been called away for Virgil, but what with having his mother back at home looking after his son and making several phone calls throughout the day, he had managed to survive. Not that he hadn't practically sprinted from the office as soon as it was time to go and pick up his two youngest. Nowadays, he couldn't imagine how he had managed to survive without the everyday routines of being a father. He knew now that had he embraced the role more after Lucille's death, not only would none of this had happened, but he would have been able to deal with the grief a lot better had he been there for the boys. He knew he still had a lot to make up to his eldest, but for now, all he could do was make sure he was there for the others.

After a few more minutes of drumming his fingers, Jeff couldn't stop the rush of relief crashing over him as the traffic once more began to move. Virgil's breakthrough had worked wonders for Gordon, making the redhead regain some of his spark too. Jeff hadn't really thought properly about how much the anxieties of the older ones were being reflected on the younger ones, but now that Gordon could see Virgil once more beginning to relax, he too looked as if the weight had been taken off his young shoulders. Jeff could only hope that it would be enough to keep him calm whilst his father was running late again. Despite the way the boy seemed to have made progress over the last week, Jeff knew it wouldn't take a lot before his seven year-old would be reduced to a scared child again.

It felt like hours, but Jeff knew it had only been a few moments before he was skidding to a stop in the car park, jumping out of the car and running for the school almost before the vehicle had properly stopped. Judging by the amount of people that were still milling around outside, the father knew he wasn't that late - he had made sure he had left the office with plenty of time to spare just in case something like this happened. Pushing open the door to the classroom where he knew his son would be waiting for him, Jeff cleared his throat softly.

"Gordo?"

"Dad!" Gordon had been sitting on the edge of one of the desks in the centre of the room, his legs swinging somewhat glumly back and forth as he waited for his father to turn up.

"Hey, buddy. I'm sorry I'm late, the traffic was causing problems." Crossing the room, Jeff crouched down in front of his son, his eyes roaming Gordon's face intently to try and gauge the child's reaction. He was certainly a lot calmer than the last time his father had been late, but even so Jeff couldn't stop the worry that his water-loving son was mirroring his older brothers when it came to hiding things.

"You okay, fish?"

"M'fine, Dad."

"You sure?"

"Can we _please_ just go home?"

"Sure thing, kiddo. Come on, get your bag." Standing up, Jeff ruffled Gordon's hair with a smile as his impatient son leapt from the desk, snatching up his bag and waiting by the door almost before his father had blinked. Jeff had to hand it to the boy. Despite his loud and hyperactive nature, Gordon had been as good as gold over the last week, keeping his loud activities to a minimum and so allowing his immediate older brother to get the rest he was so desperately craving. Their father was certainly proud of all of his boys, and was now taking every opportunity he could to tell them that. He still couldn't stop the shivers hitting him at night when he contemplated how close he had been to never being able to say it to Scott again. For that matter, he could have easily lost the opportunity with John, Virgil and even Gordon had things played out slightly differently.

"Dad?"

"I'm coming, squirt. Come on, let's go and get Alan then." Bouncing out of the door, Gordon was soon sprinting across the – thankfully empty - car park towards the car, hopping impatiently from foot to foot as his father came across at a more leisurely pace. Jeff couldn't fault him though. The boy had been so contained at home that the more excess energy he could burn off before they got back, the better. Jeff had spoken to his mother just before he had left the office and he knew that Virgil had refused to go for a sleep that afternoon, declaring that he was feeling well enough to last out until the night. That was what his father had been hoping for. The nurse had said that when the boy was back to more normal energies, he wouldn't want to be doing things like taking naps, it was too much against any eleven year-old's nature. With any luck, it would also mean that there could be more of a sense of normality falling across the household. Given that Gordon was in the house, it was somewhat unnerving how quiet it had been.

By the time he had unlocked the car and walked around to his door, Gordon had practically bounced in, strapping himself in. As Jeff started the engine up again, the redhead managed to find the source of the beeping noise in the back of the car.

"Dad, your phone is dead and beeping, how does that work?"

"Mysteries of technology," Jeff muttered, somewhat sullenly, making him sound closer to Gordon's age. He didn't understand the thing; it was managing to annoy him even when the battery was dead. "I think it is because someone tried ringing me."

"What if it is important, Dad? Don't you need to ring them back?"

"If it was anything important, they have the home number, and your grandmother is there. She'll let me have any messages."

"Oh, okay." Frowning in contemplation, Gordon decided that his father's explanation made sense and he instead just started hitting buttons on the dead thing, knowing that he couldn't worry about pressing anything important when it wasn't even on. A companionable silence fell across father and son as Jeff teased more speed out of his car, making it no time at all until he was pulling up in front of another very familiar building.

"You coming, kiddo?"

"Do I have to?" Gordon moaned, pouting somewhat pathetically and making his father smile. It was nice to see the young boy acting his age, rather than the slightly unnerving figure that had been taking Gordon's place over the last few weeks.

"Yep, 'fraid so. Come on, the sooner we get your brother, the sooner we can get home."

"Fine, fine," Gordon muttered, un-strapping himself and climbing down from the family car, only to be subjected to his father once more running his hand through his hair. Pretending to glare at the man, Gordon found that he wasn't able to keep hold of the expression for long and quickly slipped his hand into his father's, doing a strange hop on every third step as they made their way into the pre-school.

"Daddy!" As per usual, Jeff couldn't stop the smile splitting his face in two as the baby of the family came hurtling out of the adjacent room almost before Jeff and Gordon had stepped through the door. Scooping him up, Jeff hugged Alan close to him, smiling contently as Alan returned the hug just as fiercely.

"Daddy! Looky, have to come looky at pic'ures." As Alan drew back from his father's shoulder, his head twisting around towards the room he had been previously occupying in a clear sign of where he wanted his father's attention, Jeff didn't notice the main door open until an exclamation of surprise came from behind him.

"Tracy! What are you doing here?" Turning around, ignoring Alan's tugs, Jeff frowned in confusion at the look of utter surprise on Samson's face.

"Where else would I be?" Jeff asked, trying to juggle Alan's tugs and Gordon teasing the bottom of his little brother's leg.

"You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"Tracy, have you looked at your phone?" Finally placing Alan on the floor and letting the toddler drag his big brother into the room where he had been previously playing, Jeff turned his full attention to the teacher, noting that Samson was making no attempt to find his own son.

"Stupid thing died just after I left the office."

"Jeff... Scott's been taken to hospital."

The world suddenly felt colder as Jeff let Samson's words sink in. Sitting down suddenly on one of the small chairs that littered the place, he could visibly feel the colour draining from his face as he forced himself to take a deep breath. That was something Matt had taught him, the importance of breathing when feeling like the world had just opened up under your feet. If he was honest, it was a feeling Jeff was rather too familiar with.

"Wha-? How? What happened?" His last words rising more to a shout, Jeff didn't realise he had stood up again until Gordon reappeared, wrapping his arms around his father's legs in an attempt to calm the man down, all without knowing what had him so worked up after missing the first part of the conversation.

"Easy, Jeff, he's safe. You'll never guess who the paramedic on the scene was? A hint: he said to make sure you ate."

"Tim?" Jeff said hoarsely, running a hand distractedly through his hair. Scott had come so far in the last week. But if he was really honest, the father had to admit that whilst he was still reeling from the shock of hearing it so bluntly delivered, it wasn't as surprising as it perhaps should have been. After all, Virgil had spent the week at home after practically collapsing. And he had been doing much better than his big brother even before this.

"Brian, tell me. What happened? Were you there? How is he? When did it happen?"

"Whoa, Tracy, will you please breathe before you upset your son!" Blinking at Brian's sharp tone, Jeff suddenly realised that he had just been subjected to the man's "teacher" voice. Glancing down, he blinked in surprise at the small figure clutching his legs, not having noticed Gordon's presence. Hitching his son into his arms, Jeff mirrored his earlier actions and hugged the redhead close before placing him back on the floor just as Alan came tottering through. Gordon was simply too heavy to be able to hold like that anymore. Not to mention that the second Gordon's feet touched the ground, he took hold of Alan's hand and walked his baby brother back into the play room, determined to keep him away from the upset in Jeff's voice.

"Are you calm?" Brian demanded, in a much firmer tone than Jeff was used to. It was this side of Samson that he knew had John and Virgil looking up to the man so much; he'd been a pillar of strength when their world had fallen apart, their father along with it. Nodding, Jeff squeezed his eyes shut, breathing in deeply through his nose as he tried to regain control of himself.

"Someone mentioned Blag's name in the changing rooms, so yes, I was there. Scott passed out and showed no signs of coming back around. Tim was the paramedic on call; he seems to think that Scott hasn't been sleeping." As Jeff nodded in confirmation, Samson let his voice soften, knowing that now he had Jeff's attention, the hard note in his voice certainly wouldn't be helping the lost father.

"Jeff, I can take the boys home if you want?" he said quietly, noticing by the faraway expression in Jeff's eyes that the man was in his own world, desperately trying to hold himself together.

"What?"

"Do you want me to take Gordon and Alan home whilst you go ahead to the hospital? I can tell your mother what is going on if she doesn't already know and stay with the boys if she wants to head over herself."

"You would do that?" Unaware of how distant his voice was sounding, Jeff felt numb, it was the only way he could describe it. The nurse had warned him that it was dangerous for the boys to be functioning on so little sleep, especially considering their age, only the other day when he had been visiting for advice on Virgil. But whilst he knew that Scott had barely slept at all in the last month, Jeff had hoped that his strong son would have miraculously overcome the physical limitations even if he couldn't handle the emotional ones. It was not even a week ago that he'd thought he was losing Scott even with the boy standing in front of him. It was only now that he fully realised that he truly hadn't been paying his son enough attention. How could he not have noticed that Scott was so exhausted that he was on the point of collapsing?

"Tracy, come back. You've almost lost them once, don't do it again."

Startled back into reality by the firm voice, although it was somewhat softened by the hand on his shoulder, Jeff glanced up to see Samson was practically crouched in front of him, eyes radiating concern as he took in Jeff's pale complexion.

"How could I not have noticed?" he whispered hoarsely, his voice coming out as no more than a croak.

"Maybe because you are exhausted yourself," Brian responded with a humourless laugh, raising his eyebrows as he stood back up again. "Maybe because you are spending each night trying to stop the nightmares for one son or another. Give yourself a break, Tracy. Scott knew you had your hands full, that was why he hid it."

Gaping at him with something that could resemble astonishment, Jeff didn't know how to react to Brian's summary of the situation. How had the man known so precisely what was going on with the family? Sensing Jeff's thoughts, Brian just shook his head with a smile, looking at the man pointedly before finally turning and looking around for his own son. As if sensing that his father was ready for them, Gordon emerged from the play room again, Alan and Greg bounding along behind him and Miss Starle following them out in concern. She had to admit she'd known something was wrong when Gordon had brought Alan back in for the second time. Through the door she had seen Jeff sitting down very suddenly, seen the way Brian had crouched down in front of him. There was one thing the Tracy family didn't need, and that was anything else happening. The family had already been through too much, she wasn't sure how much more they could take.

"Everything alright, Jeff?" Miss Starle called over, automatically bending down to support Greg as the young boy stumbled. Her job was more than second nature to her; she knew when the falls were coming often before the children did. Not that the toddler appreciated her efforts, however, shrugging off her hand and running full speed at his father as soon as he could. Mutely shaking his head, Jeff pulled Alan onto his lap as soon as the child was in reach. After sitting there for a few moments, his tired brain trying to process the latest developments in the fiasco he called his family, Brian suddenly snapped Jeff out of his musings.

"Hey, Gordon, how would you feel if I gave you and your brother a lift home?" Immediately, the redhead's face lit up with excitement as he turned towards his father, his best pleading expression firmly in place.

"Can we, Daddy? Please? Please, Daddy, please?" Thankful to the teacher for taking control of the situation, Jeff forced a smile.

"Of course you can, fish. Are you sure?" Adding the last part on in an undertone, Jeff finally stood up, permanently this time, with Alan in his arms.

"Will you please just get to the hospital and sort your son out?" Brian responded, sounding exasperated as he led the way out to his car. Personally, he couldn't understand how Jeff could be such a successful businessman, he seemed to fall apart every time something happened to one of his boys. Glancing down at the small child in his arms, Samson suddenly smiled ruefully. He couldn't really fault the man, for he knew if anything happened to his Greg, anything at all, he too would be a complete mess.

TBTBTB

Twenty minutes later, and Jeff felt like time was repeating itself as he was pointed in the direction of his son's room. Practically running through the corridor, despite the warning signs everywhere, Jeff barrelled into a side room like a cannon, only to pull up sharply when he caught sight of his son. Scott looked incredibly pale, his dark hair framing his face from the white pillow resting behind him. His eyes were shut, and once again, Jeff found his eyes being drawn to the machinery monitoring his sleeping son.

"Mr Tracy?" Hearing the voice behind him, Jeff twisted his body around in acknowledgement, only dragging his eyes away from his eldest boy at the last minute.

"My name is Dr Ford, I have been looking after Scott here. A young Mr Jackson accompanied your son in from the school, I believe he is still around should you wish to talk to him."

"How...how is he?" Jeff asked quietly, finally moving further into the room and sinking into one of the hard-backed chairs by the bedside. If he was honest, he had barely heard the second part of the man's sentence, making a vague note to thank the teacher later, although he knew the man was only following protocol. Reaching over, he clasped one of Scott's unresponsive hands in his own, trying desperately to hold at bay the memories of the last time they had been in this position.

"Physically, your son is fine. There is nothing wrong with his body. However, exhaustion has taken its toll. Something happened to give him that nudge too far, and Scott's body shut itself down in order to prevent anything else happening."

"So why hasn't he woken up again?"

"We may have something to do with that, I'm afraid," the doctor responded, sounding slightly apologetic as he picked up the chart resting on the end of Scott's bed. Flicking it open, he quickly jotted something down before putting it back down again. Finally though, he turned to face Jeff, one hand resting on the rail at the end of the bed.

"The paramedic that brought your son in was able to explain a little about the unusual circumstances surrounding Scott's collapse. A check of the records showed that only the other day you were in here seeking advice on sleeping patterns. Due to that fact, we have been able to establish that Scott has been seriously sleep-deprived over the last month. In that state of exhaustion, his mind cannot deal, nor come to terms with what happened. However, if he cannot come to terms with it, he will still have trouble resting."

Nodding, Jeff tried to swallow the lump in his throat that had emerged at the doctor's explanation. Scott himself had admitted to feeling trapped only the other week, still unable to escape from Blag, no matter how much he may have wanted to. Jeff only wished he had paid more attention then. Maybe if he had forced the matter some more, Scott would have accepted medical help and this would not have happened.

"So why is he still asleep?" Jeff eventually asked, feeling like he was missing the point in the doctor's explanation.

"We are keeping him sedated for 36 hours." The man delivered the news bluntly, making Jeff sit up in alarm, his grip on Scott's hand tightening as he glanced frantically between his son and the doctor.

"Please, relax, Sir. I've just said that physically Scott is fine. He has just been under a lot of emotional strain. If his body can get the rest it is craving, we will be able to set up some routines for you both in order to help him get back to a normal sleeping pattern. And if that happens, well, Sir, he might just be able to move on."

As Jeff turned back towards his son, the doctor jotted down another note before excusing himself from the room. Jeff didn't have long to mull over what was going on with his eldest child before the door opened once more and his mother walked in, immediately placing a gentle kiss on Scott's temple, brushing his hair back from his forehead tenderly before sitting down.

"What did the doctor say?" she asked softly, without even as much as a hello. Smiling softly, Jeff filled her in, knowing that she was just as concerned about Scott as he was.

"How did you know?" Jeff eventually asked quietly, curious as to how his mother had found out.

"Nicole rang me. The school tried to ring your office, but they had just missed you as you left to pick up the boys. They then rang me, and I tried to get through to you."

"Stupid battery died." Jeff muttered, sinking his head into his hands as he spoke, feeling exhausted.

"Brian Samson then turned up at the house with Gordon and Alan and said he had told you and that you had come straight here. He agreed to stay with the boys, so I came over here as soon as I could."

The two adults sat silently together for a few moments, both lost in thoughts about how they could help Scott come to terms with what had happened. Jeff knew he had been fooling himself to think that Scott was coping: he had seen through the act the teenager had been putting on over the last few days, he just couldn't believe that it had come to something like this before he had really contemplated what it meant for his son.

Suddenly jumping to his feet, Jeff cursed rather violently, causing an immediate rebuke from his mother. It seemed some things never changed, no matter how old the man was, whether he was her little boy still, or a father of five himself; some things were just never going to change.

"I'm supposed to be picking John up!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, we've just topped 100 reviews, thank you so, so much! As always, a big thank you to those I can't respond directly too!**

**Special thanks to Bee on this one considering the trouble we've had with the next few chapters! Also a thank you to Sam1 and Angel-Sue76 (and her brother!) for their advice regarding the middle part of this - you'll know which bit I mean!**

John kept his head down as he worked steadily through his homework. He knew that every time he looked up Flich would be glaring at him from across the room, almost daring the young teenager to try something so that he had an excuse to keep him in for longer. The man was certainly not happy that Samson had interfered to reduce John's time in detention but because of the circumstances surrounding the Tracy family, he'd had no choice but to back down. That didn't mean he was prepared to make it any easier for the young genius though. Every teacher had always maintained that John Tracy was an absolute delight to teach, his thirst to learn outdoing nearly everyone in his year put together. Flich, however, now knew differently. The younger Tracy was just as bad as his older brother, and that boy had been a menace ever since he had first set foot in the teacher's room.

John, for his part, hated the man almost as much as Flich hated him. He had never liked him even before all of this, due to the stories he had been hearing from Scott about his time in the lessons. The one good thing that had come from it all, however, was that it gave him a chance to work in peace. His father, grandmother - and even oldest brother when it had been left to Scott – had always kept the house as quiet as they could straight after school, giving the boys a chance to get on with their work in relative peace. But what with having four brothers, Gordon being one of them, the house was never really _that_ quiet. Over the last few days, however, John was finding that he was practically back on top of his work, using the hour or so that he had in the school without anyone else around to his advantage.

Desperately trying to keep his head down, John found that he paused as he heard the door creak open slightly. Pen frozen above the page, the blond carefully peered up through his eyelashes, trying not to move his head. He didn't recognise the woman who had come in, but judging by her attire and the fact that she was handing Flich a note, he could only assume that she was one of the many staff working on reception. To his confusion, she glanced at him before leaving the room. Unable to hide his curiosity, John lifted his head properly and, sure enough, immediately met Flich's gaze.

"Your father rang. He can't make it. He wants you to get the bus." His message delivered, Flich immediately turned back to his pile of marking, not really caring whether it caused trouble for John or not. His fingers clenching around his pen, John swallowed hard. He knew it! He knew that having their father back was too good to last, that the man would soon be swallowed up by his work and start finding excuses as to why he couldn't come to pick his son up from school. He had promised that he wouldn't leave the boys on their own again, but John had always had his doubts. The man had practically forgotten they existed before, why should he carry on playing the father now one of them was beginning to get better?

The silence that fell was a stony one for the rest of the time John remained in the room. After what felt like an age of trying to keep his temper under control, Flich finally allowed the young teenager the freedom he had been waiting for all day. This was the last day of having to stay behind and John was out of the door like a flash before the teacher could come up with an excuse to keep him in for another week. John knew he would have to keep his head down even more in lessons over the next few weeks: Flich seemed determined to carry out the full extent of his punishment. And if Samson stopped him keeping John in for that next incident, then he would have just found other excuses to do so.

Meandering out of the school, John automatically glanced around before sighing. He wasn't used to going home on his own. He had always been with Scott, and the one time he hadn't before the incident, it had only been for a few moments before Gordon had kept him occupied. And even this week, with no getting the bus because of Flich, Jeff had always been waiting as soon as he got out of school. Feeling slightly nervous all of a sudden, John swallowed hard, mentally pulling himself together as he set off down the road to where he knew a bus would be arriving in only a matter of moments. Luckily, having left school at this time each day during the week, John had grown used to his father getting stuck behind the same vehicle each day. It was only the comforting thought that he would soon be on his way home that stopped John freaking out completely. He was surprised that Jeff hadn't phoned his grandmother to come and get him, but he supposed she had her hands full. Scott would have had to collect the younger ones again if Jeff wasn't leaving his office and she would have to settle them down whilst keeping an eye on Virgil. Shaking his head to try to stop himself getting into an even bigger temper – for he knew precisely how the old woman would take that – John came to a halt at the bus stop with a heavy heart, just as the bus pulled in.

Thankful that he didn't have to wait, John immediately climbed on, sitting himself near the front and by the window. Despite Scott being the one really freaking out in enclosed spaces, John found that he himself wasn't particularly comfortable any more. He couldn't say why, but he had a strong feeling it was because of Scott. His older brother had never been scared of anything for as long as John could remember and seeing something visibly causing a reaction in Scott was beginning to affect his younger siblings, giving John a slightly uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach as the bus pulled off. Telling himself that he would soon be home, John breathed in deeply through his nose, regaining control of his emotions once more. He was still angry at his father, especially considering how uneasy it was making him feel having to travel on his own, but he knew that in all reality he would soon be home safely with his brothers.

Repeating the thoughts over and over again, John found that the ride was beginning to go slightly quicker as he began to relax. Just as he did so, however, he felt something hit him in the back of the head. Glancing around, he immediately caught sight of the small piece of paper lying crumpled on the floor under his seat, undeniably the missile that had struck him. His eyes narrowing, John glanced back up the bus, only to duck as another piece came whizzing out of nowhere. That one missed him, but the third didn't, hitting him squarely on the forehead. Following the sound of the laugh, John felt the roof of his mouth go dry as he caught sight of Harry Spencer lounging across two seats at the back of the bus. Catching John's eye, he raised his eyebrows almost challengingly as he threw another piece of paper at the blond. With instincts that came with having three younger brothers, John managed to catch the flying ball, staring impassively back at Spencer, who, in turn, narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Knowing that crossing him was a bad idea, John quickly hit the button that would make the bus stop and jumped to his feet, using one hand to propel himself forward so that he was right by the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he tried not to show how much better he felt at seeing Spencer still sitting there, smirking at him mockingly. John knew that the older boy was aware he was the reason behind John's sudden departure, but the blond didn't care. He just wanted to get as far away from the boy as possible. Considering his anger at his father, he knew that it would be a bad idea to stay anywhere near Spencer; he would most likely do something that he would regret. Not only that, but he refused to do anything that would cause Spencer to turn on Virgil. The boy had only just begun picking himself back up again, the last thing he needed was to have the school bully on his case.

Jumping down, John felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he walked away from the bus. As it drove past him again, he smiled softly. All he had to do now was walk the last part of the journey home. He only hoped that his grandmother had lost track of the time slightly. He knew it was no good hoping that Scott wouldn't notice his timing, but it would be nice not to have them both on his back about his irresponsibility. Besides, considering his own attempt at walking home only a week ago, John knew there was less chance of Scott telling their father. Something John certainly wasn't in the mood for considering how he was feeling towards the man at this given time.

With each step he took, John felt his heart getting lighter and lighter. He could do this, he knew he could. And then he would be the one who was there for Scott, able to help out his big brother because he himself knew that he was able to overcome the same challenges.

He couldn't have been walking more than five minutes when he suddenly felt something crash into his back. Just about staying upright, John turned his head, only to stumble to the side as he was pushed again from the right. Swallowing, he looked around again, this time to see Spencer standing next to him.

"Didn't think you'd get away that easily, did you, blondie? And look, no brother here either. Just you and me, and a nice walk home with no one around."

"Leave me alone, Spencer," John muttered quietly, keeping close to the fence. He didn't particularly want the boy to have access to his left side, not when he had been plucking up the courage to leave the sling off next week.

"Why?" Spencer responded with a cruel laugh, shoving John into the fence again before dropping back behind him and pushing him forwards before the younger boy had managed to properly regain his balance. Landing on his knees, John winced as the action jarred his shoulder, but without saying a word, he got back up again, only to quicken his pace.

"Can't run away from me, blondie," Spencer mocked, lengthening his own stride to match John's. With a sinking heart, John knew he was right. Not only was Spencer the same age as Scott, he was roughly the same height as well. And the blond had enough trouble keeping up with his big brother's long strides on a day-to-day basis. There would be no way he could outrun Spencer. Glancing around him, John knew within a matter of seconds that there was no one around who would be able to help him. As he fell again from a particularly harsh jab in the back, only to then be hauled back up and thrown to the side, he didn't see the curtains tweak on a nearby window overlooking the street.

TBTBTB

Matt sighed irritably as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the front of the store. He wasn't even sure what he was still doing there, it wasn't like he was on duty. But sparing the radio next to him a quick glance, he couldn't help but smirk. Even off duty, he was still tuned into the station's frequency, just waiting to see if anything came through that he could help with. They had received a tip-off that something was about to happen with the store, but after the officers actually on duty had found nothing and left, Matt found himself pulling up to keep an eye on the place himself. What could he say? He was bored. The job was his life; he had nothing to go home to. And ever since he had been given a new partner whilst Paul recovered, he found that he was just getting more and more frustrated. The new guy was good at his job, there was no denying that. But he simply wasn't the friend Matt was used to patrolling with. It wasn't the same without Paul.

Wondering whether he should go and pay his friend another visit whilst everything was quiet, Matt reluctantly started the engine, pulling smoothly out of the parking lot and hitting the main road again. Teasing more and more speed out of his car, the young officer smiled as he leant back in his seat. He found there was nothing more relaxing than taking his car out for a spin. She was the only lady in his life at the moment, and Matt knew he spoilt her rotten. Not that he could help it even if he tried, he had always had a thing for cars.

The crackle of the radio quickly brought him out of his musings, and, with a quick check of his mirrors, he swung the car over to the side, bringing her gracefully to a stop in a way not many could manage. After a couple of moments of intent listening, however, he swung back out again, changing direction with a smile on his face. An incident regarding two teenagers and a fight had just been phoned in by a concerned resident, and, upon hearing the location, Matt knew he was closer than any patrol car. The least he could do was bring the situation back under control until they got there. Besides, he really was bored.

By pushing his car to an even greater speed, Matt brought her sharply into the next road, seeing the figures of the boys up ahead. He hated having to break things up between teenagers, their attitude that the whole world was against them really annoyed the officer. Teasing the gas just a little more, Matt shot off down the street, skidding to a stop next to the boys and jumping out of his car almost before he had got the key out of the ignition. As he rounded the vehicle, he paused momentarily, his eyes narrowing. One of the boys was standing threateningly over the other, who had his back to Matt where he sat on the floor. But even from the back, there was something familiar about him.

"Okay, boys, that's enough!"

Immediately, the one standing turned and Matt was hard pushed not to groan out loud. He had had dealings with this one before.

"Oh yeah, what you gonna do about it, _officer?_ Not like you're on duty, is it?"

"Back off, Spencer," Matt warned quietly, his eyes darting between the aggressive stance of Spencer and the huddled figure on the floor. He had no idea whether the younger boy was hurt or not, or whether he had arrived in time to stop Spencer going too far. He had seen what this kid was capable of in the past, and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"Or what?"

"You know what, kid," Matt responded, his tone deadly quiet. He wished he was on duty, because then he would be able to deal with the troublesome youth here and now rather than having to wait for the patrol car to turn up. He could hear it in the distance though, and knew that he only had a couple more moments of stopping things escalating before the guys reached them. Glancing down the road to see if the car was in sight yet, Matt almost missed Spencer moving. Sensing the movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned just in time to close his hand around the swinging fist. In one smooth movement, he twisted Spencer's arm behind him, pushing the youth over his car and casually holding him there.

"Okay, Reynolds, back off now, mate!" Hearing the slightly amused tone of a voice he knew, Matt relinquished his grip, smirking as he stepped back from the scowling youth.

"Did you see that?" Spencer demanded, straightening up and glaring at Matt for all he was worth. "He assaulted me!"

"That's not what we saw, kid. How many times are we going to have to speak to you?" As one of the officers walked over and led Spencer to the car, the other crouched in front of the boy still sitting on the floor. Moving over himself, Matt reached the pair of them as the teenager was helped to his feet. There was still something familiar about him, and as he turned around, Matt felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

"John!" Hurrying forward, he ran his eyes anxiously over the youth. He had spent hours protecting one Tracy or another; it was only instinct now to check they were alright. "What are you doing out here on your own, buddy? Where's your Dad?"

Immediately, John scowled at the mention of his father, but he had to admit, he was still too shaken to be able to make accusations. He had really thought he was in big trouble before a squeal of tyres had announced someone's arrival and, on recognising Matt's voice, had stayed where he was, knowing that everything would be alright now the man was here. If there was one person in the entire world he would pick to protect him, it would be the young officer. Not only was he responsible for killing the man who was the reason behind the sling still supporting his arm, he was also responsible for saving Scott. Whilst Jeff wouldn't say precisely what had happened, John had picked up enough to know that if it hadn't been for Matt's quick reactions, he would now be the oldest Tracy brother.

"Don't know," he muttered quietly, his eyes flickering over to where Spencer was being addressed by the other man. "He sent a message saying I had to get myself home. And then _he_ came and..."

"It's alright, son," the officer soothed, his gaze flickering questioningly over to Matt. "We've met Spencer before; we have a clear enough idea of what happened. We might need to speak to you in a few days time, but are you okay getting home now?"

Watching John with narrowed eyes as he swallowed hard before nodding, Matt knew the young Tracy was lying.

"I'll give you a lift, John. I've been meaning to stop by and see how you guys were doing anyway."

"Are you sure?" John eventually managed to whisper, feeling a sudden rush of gratitude towards the man. Whilst he knew that there was no way the police were going to let Spencer follow him, the thought of having to walk the rest of the way on his own still had given him the shudders. He wasn't sure who he had been trying to convince that he was ready for this when he had jumped off the bus, but he certainly hadn't persuaded himself.

"Sure, buddy. Let me just sort a couple of things out here and we can be off."

Leaning against the fence, John let out a breath of relief as Matt and the other office walked back towards the cars. Before he had time to comprehend what was happening, however, Spencer broke free of the other man and came sprinting over. Grabbing the front of John's shirt once more, he slammed the younger boy against the fence.

"You're gonna regret this, blondie. You and the kid."

His breathing quick and frantic, John swallowed hard as the police reacted, grabbing Spencer and pulling him away. As they forced him into the back of the police car whilst they sorted things out, John shut his eyes, trying to hide the tears building up.

"John?"

Feeling a gentle hand on his good shoulder, the teenager looked up again to find himself gazing into Matt's concerned face. "Come on, bud, let's get you home."

Using one hand to support the slightly shaky boy, Matt helped John over to his car, letting him slide in before shutting the door. With a quick nod at his colleagues, he rounded the vehicle and slipped in himself.

For a few moments, silence fell across the car, John only making a couple of comments regarding directions. If he was honest, he was desperately trying to suppress the memories of the last time someone other than his father had been driving him. It had been a silent journey then as well, though again he'd been the only one speaking in order to give directions.

Eventually though, Matt smoothly drew the car onto the driveway. Immediately making to climb out, John visibly jumped as a hand stopped him.

"How long has that been going on, John?" Matt asked quietly, his eyes radiating with concern as he took in the slightly ashen complexion of the boy next to him. John looked almost as bad as he had done the last time the officer had seen him, and that was back in the hospital a month ago.

"Long enough," John muttered, refusing to meet Matt's eye and instead gazing at the house, wondering absently where everyone would be. Virgil would no doubt be in his room; this was the time of the day when the eleven year-old had been going for his nap. Which would naturally mean Gordon would be downstairs, he was having a hard enough time keeping quiet as it was. It was only as he let his eyes roam from the house onto the driveway that he suddenly undid his seatbelt, climbing out slowly. He had been thinking about the last time he had seen Samson's car, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see it sitting in the driveway of his own house.

"John?" The teenager didn't register Matt's call, didn't notice as the man climbed out of the car, brow crumpled in confusion as he watched the expressions flicker across John's face. "John, what's wrong?"

"That's not our car," John mumbled, sending himself sprinting for the door as he scrambled for his key at the same time. Within seconds, he had jammed it somewhat frantically in the lock, almost getting it stuck as he twisted it desperately before speeding into the house, barely noticing Matt on his heels.

"Grandma? Scott? Anyone?" Hearing footsteps, John put his bag down with just enough time to catch Gordon's usual hug, but the boy was lacking his usual energy. Following him into the lounge, John frowned when he saw Virgil sitting on the edge of the sofa. He looked pale, but it wasn't due to the exhaustion that had been haunting the eleven year-old. Frowning, John moved further in, letting his eyes roam the room as he did so. There was no sign of either his grandmother or his eldest brother. Nor his father for that matter, but John would have been more surprised if Jeff _had_ been home.

"Virg, where is everyone?"

"At the hospital, John."

Barely hearing Matt come in behind him, John could only stare at his brother, the rest of the room almost seeming to faze out, Virgil's concerned face being the only thing he could see.

"W..what?"

"John, are you okay? Hey, boys." Finally making his presence known, Matt smiled around at the children, receiving a grin back from Gordon and a slight smile from his immediate older brother. Alan was sitting at Virgil's feet, practically on top of them, paying absolutely no attention to the older people in the room.

"Matt?" Hearing his name, the officer spun around, gaping in astonishment to see Samson standing there, a child that could only be his own son clutched in his arms and a frown on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Giving John a lift home," Matt responded evasively, sparing the teenager a glance. His earlier comment had made Matt realise that no one else knew about what had been going on, but he knew that it was far from his place to say anything.

"What are you doing here?" The officer immediately shot back, knowing that whilst he was trying to cover for John, there must be something much bigger going on for his presence to be needed. John hadn't mentioned anything else going on with the family, but considering Matt knew the teenager was hiding things, he wouldn't have been at all surprised if the bullying wasn't the only thing the blond was keeping in.

"Giving Gordon and Alan a lift home. And keeping an eye on them."

"Where's Dad?" John broke in, his eyes roaming the room. He knew that Jeff hadn't been able to pick him up, but he had expected his grandmother to at least be at home looking after the younger ones. Whilst he knew that his father could be that irresponsible – his past actions proving the point – John knew that his grandma would never have simply let Samson look after his younger brothers without being there herself. Unless something had happened...

"You don't know? John, I left a message with the school, did you not receive it?"

"I got nothing until the receptionist came in at the end of my detention." John responded, glancing towards Virgil with confusion reflected in his eyes.

"I told them to pass it on. Damn people probably didn't realise Scott has two brothers at the school, and knowing Virgil was already at home, probably didn't think to check it. I'm sorry, I should have told you myself."

"Told me what?"

"John, what message did you get from your father?" Samson asked, hitching his son further into his arms as he spoke. He certainly hadn't intended to keep John in the dark, that was for sure. But having been called away in something of a hurry, Samson had only time to stop by reception and ask that the message be passed on that Scott had been taken to hospital. As a result of Virgil's absence all week, he was more than likely to be the first name that came up when the woman had searched Scott's siblings, and knowing firsthand how distracted they could be, Samson knew that she had stopped there, not realising that there was another brother still at the school.

"He just said he couldn't pick me up," John muttered, suddenly feeling guilty. He had spent the whole afternoon being mad at his father, determined to think that the man had once again placed his job over his family. He should have known better though. Jeff had promised them all, individually as well as together, that it would never happen again.

"John, you might want to sit down for this... Scott collapsed. He has been taken to hospital. Don't worry, he is going to be just fine, you know how tough your brother is. But they are keeping him in, just to make sure." What Brian didn't want to tell him, however, was precisely what Jeff had reported to him when he had phoned home to talk to Virgil to tell him the news. He certainly didn't want the children knowing that their big brother was being kept sedated for a day or so to stop him collapsing again.

Swallowing hard, John found himself on the edge of the sofa, absently looping his arm around Gordon's shoulders as the redhead pressed himself into his brother, wanting one of the older ones to make things all better again. They had told him Scott was staying at the hospital, just as they had all done before, only Gordon didn't know why. All he knew was, just like before, his biggest brother hadn't come home.

"John, Virgil, come on," Matt suddenly declared, pulling his keys out of his pocket and striding towards the door as he spoke. The two boys automatically climbed to their feet, following him out without knowing precisely where they were going.

"What are you doing?" Brian called, setting his son down next to Alan and letting the two boys immediately engage each other in a game as he reached out a hand to stop Gordon scurrying after the older ones.

"Taking them to their brother," Matt responded shortly, opening the door and gesturing for the two boys to go out first. He had seen firsthand what had happened the last time John and Virgil had been separated from Scott, and had no desire for a repeat performance.


	9. Chapter 9

**Another huge thank you for the wonderful reviews, especially those I can't respond directly too, they mean the world!**

Jeff had his head resting in one hand, which in turn was balanced on the edge of Scott's bed. An empty coffee cup hung loosely from the other hand, his mind far away as he gazed with unseeing eyes at his sleeping son. His mother had disappeared for a few moments, declaring she was going to find her son something to eat, but Jeff was sure she just needed a few moments on her own. They had all come so far over the last month, but right now Jeff felt like he was back at square one, once again wondering if he was going to get his eldest boy back. Only it wasn't some madman that Scott was a prisoner of this time, but his own mind.

Jeff still couldn't believe that it had come to this. He had honestly thought that they were over the worst once Virgil had broken away from the demons holding him back. Somehow – even now, he wasn't sure how – Jeff had just expected Scott to come to terms with what had happened and move on. He knew it was wrong of him to think such things, his son was only sixteen. But that was what had happened after Lucille's death. It was Scott who had held the family together, kept things moving whilst waiting for Jeff to come back to them. During one of the rare moments when they had managed to find some time for just the pair of them, Scott had admitted that whilst he had felt lost without his father, he had never once mirrored John's thoughts in thinking the man was gone for good. He'd known Jeff would come back, and, right now his father could only pray that this time it wasn't too late for Scott to come back.

"Daddy?" Hearing the quiet voice, Jeff jerked his head up suddenly, the coffee cup falling from his hand. Luckily it had been empty, but it didn't stop his middle son from looking guilty. Standing up, Jeff stared in astonishment at the fact that John and Virgil were framed in the doorway. John's eyes were fixed on the resting form of his big brother. Virgil, on the other hand, had sought out his father, turning once more to the man. Just as he had believed in Jeff to make Scott better beforehand, Virgil once more found himself placing all of his trust in his father, relying on him to make the problems disappear in the way only an eleven year old could manage.

"How-?" Jeff couldn't help but gape, unable to believe that another two of his sons had joined him. He was sure Samson wouldn't have let them come over on their own, and there was no way he would bring two toddlers, not to mention a lively seven year-old to the hospital without a very good reason.

"Hey, Tracy."

His mouth falling open in shock, Jeff couldn't help but stare in wonder at the figure that materialised behind his sons, answering all of his questions with that one appearance.

"Matt?"

"Long time no see, huh? I would ask how you were doing, but..." His eyes flickering over to Scott, Matt grimaced softly. "I think I know the answer."

"What are you doing here, Matt?"

"I could make something quite spectacular up, but in reality, I ended up giving John here a lift home. Samson was at the house, he told me what happened." Glancing towards the two boys, Matt caught Jeff's eye. They were still hovering in the doorway, almost as if they were not certain whether they should be going to their brother or not.

"He's only sleeping, boys," Jeff said quietly, his eyes darting between his children. Virgil was chewing on his lip as he gazed at Scott, obviously trying to hide the raging emotions that were more than visible to his father. John, on the other hand, was looking at the floor, almost as if he didn't want to face looking at Scott again, it being too much of a reminder about what had happened. Suddenly wondering if he had done the right thing in bringing the boys, Matt navigated his way into the room, perching on the edge of one of the chairs closest to the door, not wanting to feel like he was intruding. However, he also didn't want to leave just yet, not until he knew that all of three of the Tracys were coping.

"Is he going to be okay, Dad?" Virgil whispered, finally moving further into the room, not letting his eyes leave Scott. It was almost as if he was scared that should he look away for even a moment, his big brother would disappear. Whilst he had never seen Scott sedated – they had been kept away last time – Virgil had enough memories of his older brothers – both of them – lying in a hospital bed to last him a lifetime.

"He is going to be just fine, Virgil. He needs to have a nice long sleep, just the way you have been doing, and then he is going to be much better, you'll see."

"Promise?"

"I-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep!" John suddenly snapped, finally lifting his gaze from the floor. Jeff immediately felt his heart clench at the tear-filled eyes, pain more than evident within. The blond was obviously more aware than his younger brother about what had caused this sort of reaction in Scott. However, looking at him now, Jeff felt himself frown. He could tell by John's stance that he had been upset even before seeing Scott, probably even before he had found out about his brother. Samson had explained that John was in a class when Scott had collapsed, and by the time his brother had been safely taken to hospital, he was already in detention. The teacher had claimed that he had told reception to pass on the message, but judging from what had been said about Flich's attitudes towards his sons, Jeff knew that it might never have reached the younger brother. He only hoped that the message about him not being able to pick John up had reached him, but something told him that it had. John would have certainly let him know if he thought his father had just left him at the school without warning.

"John," Jeff began, a slight warning tone infiltrating his voice. He knew seeing Scott like this would affect John, but judging by the way tears suddenly sprang into Virgil's eyes, he thought the boy might have had more tact around his younger brother.

"Sorry," John whispered, before suddenly turning and running from the room.

"John?" Taking a step forward, Jeff stopped as Matt stuck out his hand. The young officer had quite a good idea of what had John so worked up.

"Stay with Virgil," he muttered quietly under his breath, glancing at the slightly trembling child who had managed to take another hesitant step towards his brother. "I'll make sure he is okay."

"Thanks, Matt." Nodding his appreciation, Jeff stepped over to his son, placing his hands on Virgil's shoulders and forcing the boy to walk closer to his brother. He could see that Virgil was holding back, that he was almost scared of seeing Scott up close. Knowing his son as well as he did, however, Jeff knew that once he was there, all the demons would vanish. Scott always had that presence for his younger brother, even if neither of them realised it. Jeff had spent many a night soothing his son back to sleep, but the quickest Virgil had ever calmed down was the night Scott had stayed with him. Jeff knew that the two of them had always connected, and right now, it would only be by seeing that Scott really was just sleeping – albeit not a natural one – that the younger boy would calm down again. For as much as Virgil was trying to hide it, Jeff was no fool. He could see the way the artist's normally steady hands kept letting out involuntary tremors, the way he kept chewing on his lip anxiously. Nothing Jeff could say would be able to do what hearing the steady breathing of his eldest brother could do for Virgil now.

Watching them for a few moments, Matt turned and headed out of the door, the only thing on his mind being to find the missing Tracy. Not looking where he was going, he almost crashed into the woman coming towards him, only pulling back just in time.

"Mrs Tracy!" he exclaimed, feeling somewhat guilty as the old woman visibly jumped at their near collision. However, true to form, she quickly recovered herself, smiling at the young man in front of her.

"Officer Reynolds is it not?"

"Please, ma'am, it's Matt."

"Matt. Now, just what are you doing here? You haven't gotten yourself hurt, have you?"

Smiling at the concern in her voice, Matt shook his head. He had no desire to tell her that he was actually looking for her upset grandson.

"Not this time, ma'am. I was just bringing John and Virgil to see their brother."

"Now that, young man, is quick thinking." And so saying, Mrs Tracy patted him on the cheek before moving past towards Scott's room. His eyebrows raised in fond amusement, Matt made to set off again when a voice called him back.

"Matthew?" Wincing slightly that she had immediately figured out his full name and decided to use it, Matt turned around.

"There are sandwiches here if you need them. Goodness knows what you officers are like with eating, always dashing around all over the place. Reminds me of my boys."

Feeling genuinely touched, Matt smiled.

"Thank you, ma'am." Watching her disappear into Scott's room, Matt eventually turned back around. He now knew where John was _not._ There was no way he was down this corridor, that was for sure. Matt had seen enough of his grandmother to know that she certainly would have not walked past him and not noticed, nothing seemed to get past that woman.

Spinning on his heel, Matt turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction to where he had been planning on going. Sure enough, he rounded the first corner and there, sat on the floor, leaning heavily against the wall, was John.

Without saying a word, Matt walked over, sliding down the wall himself until he was sitting next to the blond. At his arrival, John hastily wiped his sleeve across his eyes, trying to destroy any evidence of the tears that had been trickling down his face.

"How long has it been going on, John?" Matt asked, aware that this was the second time he had asked the boy that this afternoon. This time, however, he wanted a proper answer. He knew that seeing Scott lying there motionless was just one step too far for John considering the scene that Matt had arrived at earlier that day. The kid needed a break.

"Four months," John whispered quietly, knowing precisely what Matt was talking about.

"And why haven't you told anyone?" Compared to if it had been Jeff – or even Scott – addressing him, Matt's voice was calm, no hint of annoyance present. It was as if he knew precisely why John hadn't said a word about the bullying, almost as if he was aware that this could potentially affect more than just John.

"He said he would go after Virg if I said anything. I can't let him, Matt. Virgil has been through too much."

"And what about you, kiddo? You don't think being shot is going through too much? You went through almost the same as your brother, John. Give him more credit, he's tough. You don't have to shoulder this alone."

"Don't you understand?" John cried, running his good hand through his hair in agitation as he glanced up the corridor towards Scott's room. "Virgil always relied on Scott to protect him from everything. And Scott can't protect him from this. Virgil already thinks that Scott hasn't really come back to us. If he can't protect him from Spencer, Virgil will never trust him again."

Blinking at the teenager, Matt couldn't hide his astonishment. He had always known that there was much more to John than appeared on the surface, but the officer was frankly nothing short of surprisedby what had just come out of his mouth. It was typical of him. It wasn't just Virgil he was worried about, but the relationship between his older and younger brother. He was prepared to take the fall for both of them.

"John, you can't let it continue, no matter what he has threatened. The school can do something if you report it. If it gets bad enough, the police can do something about it, especially now we are already aware of Spencer causing you trouble."

"I can't," John responded heavily, swallowing hard. "Not whilst Scott is like this. He is relying on me, Matt. I have to look after them whilst he can't."

"John..."

"Hey, guys."

Whatever Matt was about to say was cut off as Virgil rounded the corner, his eyes flickering in concern at seeing his big brother sitting on the floor. Suddenly worried about what his brother may have heard, John scrambled to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded slightly harshly as he tried to cover up the signs that he had been crying. Virgil merely narrowed his eyes at the elder boy, glaring for all he was worth. He certainly wasn't in the mood for John being stubborn.

"Dad asked me to find you, if you must know," he practically snarled, turning on his heel and making to walk off. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he felt a hand latch itself around his arm, just as he knew it would.

"I'm sorry, Virg. I'm just worried about Scotty."

"Me too, John." Sighing heavily, Virgil glanced towards Matt with calculating eyes, wondering if he could get the full story out of the officer. Whilst he would never admit it to John, he had been standing there for a while. After being with his brother for a few moments, Virgil suddenly felt concerned by John's abrupt exit. It was bad enough there being something wrong with one of his older brothers, and knowing that there was something else troubling John besides Scott, he had followed. He certainly hadn't been expecting the conversation that had followed. It made sense though: John's reaction to Spencer's comment on the bus, the way he had done anything he could to stop Virgil reacting to it... And whilst he would never say anything, Virgil was just as protective of his older brothers as they were of him. John might be trying to protect him from the school bully, but that didn't stop Virgil wanting to do the same back.

Smiling gently at his brother, John moved past him, leading the way back down the corridor. He had no idea he had just awoken a fiery and protective side of his brother, all he knew was that Virgil could not find out what was really going on. And if that meant swallowing his pride and pretending that nothing was wrong, then so be it.

"There you are, John."

Brought out from his musings by his father's voice, John looked up, sheepishly meeting his father's eye. He knew the last time his temper had been directed at the man in front of him, he had been accusing his father of not caring enough to get Scott back. He had sworn to himself he wouldn't do it again, but he had found that he didn't want to hear the man making promises about things that he had absolutely no control over.

"Are you okay, son?"

As John nodded, Jeff frowned, not believing him. However, as Matt smiled reassuringly over his head, he knew that if John would open up to anyone, it would be the officer behind him. If he didn't want to tell his father, that was fine by Jeff, just as long as the boy was coping with whatever it was.

"Boys, your grandmother is going home. One of us needs to get back to the little ones; it's not fair on Mr Samson otherwise. I want you to go with her."

"But Dad, we've only just got here," John protested, sparing the sleeping figure of his older brother a glance.

"John, you've done what you came here to do, even if you don't know it," Jeff responded gently, choosing to ignore the frown on Virgil's face as he attempted to work through what his father had just said. Jeff knew why Matt had brought them here. There was no way those two would have accepted Samson's word that their older brother was alright until they had seen if for themselves. Now they had, however, Jeff didn't want them to be stuck in the hospital. He was more than worried about what memories would begin to resurface and take their toll, especially as Virgil had just made it this far.

"But..."

"That's enough, John Tracy," Grandma interrupted sternly, fixing John with a look he knew better than to cross. "You heard your father. Now come along, say goodbye to your brother."

Approaching the bed for the first time, John felt the whole world go quiet as he looked down at Scott. There was a peaceful look on his brother's face, one that hadn't been apparent in his waking moments for a considerable length of time. Letting his good hand rest lightly on his big brother's forehead, John sighed.

"Come back, Scotty, I need you," he whispered softly, feeling tears prick the corner of his eyes. Feeling a small hand slip into his, John let Virgil lead him away. Despite his earlier thoughts, he would now give anything for Jeff to promise him that everything was going to be alright.

TBTBTB

A sombre mood fell over the Tracy household over the next few days. Grandma had moved in completely and the weekend meant that the boys didn't even have the escape of school to take their minds off their absent brother. Alan had gone into a furious sulk at the fact that neither Jeff nor Scott was around, and despite their best efforts, no one could cheer him up again. Gordon too had fallen uncharacteristically silent, sneaking into John's room on both nights in order to sleep with his brother, the uncertain feeling once more beginning to settle in on him. Virgil had woken up screaming again, and John couldn't help but feel the absence of his brother even more as he attempted to make Scott proud and cheer them all up. Their grandmother was almost at her wits end, trying to make sure her son was eating properly and getting some fresh air during the hours spent by Scott's bedside, as well as trying to break the mood that had settled over the family.

Sitting on the floor with Alan, John leant back against Gordon's bed, watching his youngest brother sit there miserably. His toys were spread out around him, yet the toddler had his arms stubbornly folded, refusing to even look at them until Scott was around to play with him. Virgil was practically above John, perched on the edge of the bed, hugging a pillow into his chest as he leant against the wall, unseeing eyes staring into space. Gordon was not with them, but even as John's thoughts flickered over to the seven year-old, he came skulking in, a frown on his usually carefree face.

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Grandma won't let me go swimming," Gordon huffed, plonking himself heavily on the floor opposite John, pouting for all he was worth. "She said Dad is bringing a surprise home tonight, so I can't go."

"Come on, Gordy, you already knew you wouldn't be able to go, Dad told you the other day."

"It's not fair though!" Gordon cried, making John glance over his shoulder at Virgil. Sharing his look with an added roll of his eyes, Virgil nodded. It was more than apparent to the older brothers that it was nothing to do with not being able to go swimming that had Gordon so down. It was just the most convenient excuse he could think of at this moment in time in order to vent his bad mood.

"Life's unfair, fish," Virgil muttered, making John flinch at how _old_ Virgil sounded. He was only supposed to be eleven, and yet was sounding more and more like their father every day. As something shot over his head, though, he smiled. Blinking in surprise, Gordon looked more than a little astonished to suddenly find himself clutching a pillow. Slowly raising his eyes up to meet Virgil's, he couldn't help but grin at the smirk that had shot over his brother's face. Very slowly, he stood up, before suddenly moving and throwing the pillow back, hard. It had barely touched Virgil's hands, however, before its flight path was reversed and Gordon was forced to duck out of the way. Snatching it up from the floor, he made to throw it back, only to slip slightly, causing the pillow to land with a smack straight in John's face. Raising his eyebrows, John couldn't help but smile at the impish grin Gordon shot him almost nervously.

He sat there for a few moments, not moving and letting Gordon squirm slightly. Suddenly, he lunged forward, letting the pillow fly out of his hand and smack his younger brother straight in the chest. He didn't have long to enjoy his victory, however, as another cushion suddenly slammed itself down on his head from behind. Automatically reaching around with his unhindered arm, John somehow managed to grab Virgil around the waist, pulling the younger boy off the bed and onto the floor with a squeal. Just as he made to bend over the wriggling form, another pillow hit him in the chest, momentarily throwing his balance.

Virgil didn't need another invitation. Leaping up, he quickly managed to knock his big brother over, pinning him to the floor. Just as John was making use of his bigger build, Gordon came running over, throwing himself across John's legs even as the blond had managed to establish a foothold. Pinned to the floor, he couldn't help but grin at the puzzled look Gordon shot Virgil.

"Now what?" he asked, sounding confused. Virgil bit his lip, thinking hard. They had John pinned, but if either of them moved, he would once again have the advantage. Someone else answered the question for them. Seeing his brothers having fun, Alan had decided that sulking whilst no one was paying him any attention wasn't any fun. Tottering over, he practically fell across John's chest. Righting his balance, he grinned up at Virgil, before poking John in the ribs. Caught by surprise, John couldn't help but let out a rather shrill giggle. As Virgil's face lit up in delight, Alan poked him again, causing him to giggle again.

"Keep doing it, Allie," Virgil called encouragingly, desperately trying to keep John's flailing arm on the floor. His face finally breaking into a smile, Alan couldn't help but giggle in delight at the reaction he got every time he poked John. It wasn't long before John found himself struggling to breathe: every time he gained control, Alan would poke him again and he would be set back off again. Not that he particularly minded. The toddler had finally cheered up, Gordon had forgotten his sulk and Virgil was smiling. Maybe he hadn't failed Scott after all.

For a long moment, the three brothers continued their attack on the fourth until they were all breathless with laughter, Alan sitting down rather suddenly as he tried to control his giggles. As Gordon suddenly hiccupped, John managed to raise his head enough to see his little brother, only to hear another hiccup, and found himself once more paralysed by laughter. If he was honest, he didn't even know what precisely was so funny; he just knew that it had been a very long time since the brothers had been able to act like the children they were rather than the scared boys the world had forced them to become.

Little did the boys realise who was leaning in the doorway, looking exhausted, but unable to stop the small smile playing across his face as he watched his sons behaving in precisely the way they should have been.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much again for all of the gorgeous comments, especially the ones I can't respond too, thank you!**

Leaning against the door casually as he watched his sons, Jeff couldn't stop the wave of relief from crashing over him at seeing them so relaxed. He had been deeply concerned that Scott's latest stay in the hospital would have dire consequences for John and Virgil. Knowing they had yet to notice him, Jeff let his mind think back over the last few days.

_Jeff sighed deeply as he rolled his aching neck and shoulders, glancing towards the ceiling as he did so. He had to admit, he had been taken aback when Matt had turned up with his sons. But any doubts he may have had about them seeing their brother sedated were immediately crushed as he had watched Virgil visibly relax upon seeing his brother, knowing that this would be the only thing to reassure him that Scott was definitely going to come back to them. They had been forced to go an entire weekend without being able to see how their brother was, without _knowing_ how he was after Scott had been kidnapped. And whilst it had never been said out loud, Jeff knew that it had crossed John's mind at least that they might never again have been able to ask after their older brother. Whilst he knew the visit was what the pair of them needed in order to keep calm until Scott was fit to go home, Jeff was glad when his mother had taken control of the situation once again. John's outburst had made his father more than aware that something was troubling the elder of his blonds and being stuck in a hospital room was certainly not going to help, not with the memories of the last time they were here still clearly on his mind. Now they had seen that their brother was going to be fine, and that he really was only sleeping, there was no reason for them to stay. _

_Not that he wanted to admit it, but Jeff was glad when everyone had gone. So far, he had managed to keep up appearances, look like he was in control of a situation that had rapidly slid from his grasp weeks ago, despite not having any idea how. If he was honest, Jeff didn't think he had been in control since he had lost Lucille, not properly, anyway. For the first few months, he had been so wrapped up in his grief, he was ashamed to admit that he wasn't thinking about what his actions were doing to his sons. And then it had been the business taking over. If the truth be told, Jeff hadn't expected to be able to establish himself that firmly so quickly. He had been feeling a little out of his depth as it was, but as proposal after proposal had come in, felt himself swept away, not having time to contemplate what he was doing, nor how far from his family he was drifting. And for the past month, it had been Blag controlling him. Literally to begin with, threatening his sons' safety and well being. That weekend had to have been the longest two days of Jeff's life. The race against time to see if they would be able to save his son, made twice as bad by the men actually coming around to his house. They had betrayed everything that was supposed to make the children feel safe: the house, police officers... And even now, over a month later, it was still Blag controlling his life. The maniac might not be free to cause harm, but he was certainly doing enough damage to the Tracy family, plaguing their dreams night after night. And what Jeff found worst was the feeling that he was once again losing his sons to the monster, especially his oldest. Only this time, he was standing there watching it happen, still not being able to do anything._

_Shuddering slightly at the memories of those days, Jeff snapped himself back into reality. He knew if he carried on thinking like that, he would end up a mess. He couldn't afford to break down now, not when the boys were finally beginning to make some progress. Sighing again, Jeff leant forward, clasping Scott's still hand in his own and pressing it against his cheek. At least, some of the boys were making progress, but the father really couldn't help but wonder if they were going backwards with Scott. Every time Jeff thought he had managed to overcome another hurdle, the teenager would simply put up another barrier, another false front, in order to pretend everything was alright when he knew that his family were watching, just waiting to see his reaction. It was driving Jeff mad. He really thought he had been able to get through to his son on the day when Scott had decided he wanted to walk home. And whilst he knew that the change which had taken place over the next couple of days had not been as extreme as the rest of the family thought, Jeff had honestly believed that reuniting Scott with Virgil in the relationship they used to have would have done something for him. And now look where he was: sedated in hospital after collapsing, all because he was refusing to let anyone in._

"_Oh, Scotty." Jeff murmured softly, resting against his son's hand. "When are you going to stop being so stubborn?"_

_"Mr Tracy?" Pulled sharply out his musings, Jeff sat up that little bit straighter as Dr Ford re-entered the room, looking apologetic at disturbing the father. He knew Jeff had managed to get very little rest the night before: the man had refused to leave his son's side, despite knowing that there was absolutely no chance that Scott would so much as stir. Seeing the look in his eye had made the doctor back down, knowing he had more chance of landing himself in the emergency room before Jeff left Scott's side._

"_Hey, doc," Jeff said quietly, his voice betraying how tired and worn he was feeling. "How's he doing?" _

_For a moment, the doctor didn't answer, instead checking various things around Scott, jotting down notes as he did so before eventually turning his attention back to the concerned father._

"_He should begin to come round within the next hour; we've eased him off the sedatives all day. Be warned though, whilst he may wake up, it will only be briefly. He should alternate between sleep and waking for a good few hours before he is lucid enough to stay awake."_

"_Oh, we've dealt with sedation before, haven't we, Scotty?" _

_Frowning at the bitterness in Jeff's voice, the doctor replaced his clipboard on the end of Scott's bed, but made no attempt to leave the room. Instead he fixed Jeff with the piercing gaze that normally had his patients squirming._

"_And how are you coping, Jeff? I hear two of your other sons were brought in to see their brother yesterday. Are they dealing with it?"_

"_Better than I could have hoped for," Jeff responded, gazing at his sleeping son intently as if hoping that would be enough to wake his boy up. "They've been through worse, that's for sure. No, now they've seen he isn't in any danger, they'll be fine."_

_Rather than being reassured, the doctor found that his frown only deepened. They were not the usual words he heard from concerned fathers. They had been through worse? And what was this about seeing he wasn't in any danger? Normally it was seeing that the sibling was still in one piece that reassured most of the children Dr Ford had come across. 'Danger' was not one of the words that were normally associated with situations like this. Thinking back on the reasons behind Scott's collapse in the first place, he decided not to push the matter, not being sure how the sleep-deprived Tracy would react. Finally turning, he had just made it to the door when he suddenly remembered something._

"_Oh, Mr Tracy?" Waiting until Jeff had finally torn his eyes away from his son and looked at the man, the doctor smiled in a slightly confused manner. "One of my nurses said to tell you she'll be making sure things run smoothly."_

_For a moment, Jeff merely frowned, his tired brain really not understanding what the man was getting at. As he glanced quizzically back at Scott, he realised. Smiling gently, he shifted his weight into a more comfortable position._

_"Tell Rachel thank you."_

"_How-?"_

_"Long story." _

_Knowing that he had completely lost Jeff's attention this time, the doctor excused himself. He had other patients to attend to, after all._

_To Jeff's relief, the doctor's predictions about Scott awakening were spot on. The man had not been out of the room for more than ten minutes when Scott shifted position slightly. If it had been any other type of situation, Jeff would have thought nothing of it. But something he found to be completely unnerving was how still Scott was when he was sedated. Jeff had been sitting by his son's side for nearly twenty-four hours now, and not once had Scott moved in the slightest. Immediately feeling full alertness come rushing back, Jeff sat up straighter, watching intently as Scott's legs moved again._

_"Scotty?" His call, whilst it had been meant to see if his son could hear him, came out as barely more than a whisper, a hint of a plea in Jeff's voice. He hadn't realised how tense he had been whilst his son was sleeping, but now, knowing he was beginning to wake up, Jeff felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Waiting with baited breath as Scott moved again, Jeff felt that if he was any further forward on the chair, he would be falling off._

_"Scott, can you hear me? Open your eyes, son, come on. Come back to me, Scotty." It took a few more attempts, but eventually, Jeff felt a relieved smile cross his face as Scott's eyelids eventually flickered, revealing the disorientated orbs beneath._

_"Dad?" As his eyes gained focus, Jeff was not expecting them to suddenly widen in panic, darting around the hospital room frantically as his breathing picked up. Knowing that if Scott didn't calm down soon, the doctor would be back in, Jeff leaned over. Gently cupping his son's cheek with his hand, he forced Scott to look at him._

"_Everything's okay, Scotty. You collapsed in school, do you remember, son?"_

"_No," Scott whispered, tears filling his eyes and causing Jeff to feel like his heart was breaking. His son looked and sounded so vulnerable. Just over a month ago, the father knew full well that this side of Scott would have never made an appearance._

_"Never mind, it will come back to you. Trust me, everything is okay."_

_"What about the others? Are they alright?"_

_"Scott, relax. Everyone is fine. Well, Gordon will have to miss his swim practice, which probably means there won't be a house left standing, but apart from that..." The gentle teasing tone in Jeff's voice eventually managed to get through to the frightened boy and Scott's eyes gradually lost their haunted look as he leant back on the pillows. Before Jeff could say anything else, his eyes had drifted shut again._

_Letting out an explosion of breath, Jeff ran his hand through his son's hair, leaving his hand resting on Scott's head for a moment as he tried to pull himself together. The frightened expression that had immediately shot over Scott's face had unnerved his father. How could he have been so blind as to not realise how badly this had affected his son? He had always relied on Scott to be the strong one, to help control the horde that he called brothers. It was only now, when it had come to this, that Jeff realised just how much he had taken his son for granted._

_Half an hour or so passed, but so lost in his thoughts was he that Jeff barely noticed. He only returned to reality when he felt Scott shift again, and no sooner had he looked up, Scott opened his eyes once more. Immediately leaning forward, Jeff quickly brought the boy's attention onto him, making sure that Scott wasn't given the chance to panic this time. To his father's delight, he managed to stay awake for almost fifteen minutes before drifting back to sleep again._

_The third time Scott awoke, Jeff sensed the change in his son straight away. His eyes were clearer and far more alert as he shakily pushed himself into an upright position. Moving behind him, Jeff quickly propped the pillows up for him, allowing Scott to lean back and let them take his weight._

"_How are you feeling, son?" _

_"Thirsty," Scott responded, sounding almost sheepish as his eyes glanced around the room. Smiling gently, Jeff reached down and picked up the cup of water one of the nurses had delivered not ten minutes ago, seeming to know that Scott would be more alert this time. Instructing his son to only sip, Jeff kept a close eye as Scott drank, only to take back the empty cup with no mishaps at all._

_"That better, Scotty?"_

_Nodding mutely, Scott leant back with a sigh, unable to stop his eyes roaming the room. Being back in the hospital was certainly bringing back memories he would rather have stayed buried, especially as it had taken him this long to gain control over them._

_"Dad?"_

_Frowning in immediate concern, Jeff leant forward. There had been a strange note in Scott's voice, almost as if he was trying to fight off tears._

_"What's wrong, son?"_

"Dad, I want to go home. Please. Don't wanna be here..."

_Moving forward so that he was sitting next to his son on the bed, Jeff leant forward once more, wrapping his arms around Scott and pulling the boy into his shoulder. His suspicion that Scott was trying to hold off tears proved to be true as he felt something wet splash onto his top._

"_You're ill, Scott."_

"_Please. Just let me go home. Don't want to have to stay here. Please, Dad, please, let me go home." _

_Swallowing hard against the pleading note in Scott's voice, Jeff drew gently back, attempting to smile reassuringly at his son. Tears were running silently down Scott's face, his eyes still darting anxiously around the room. Cupping his son's face once more, Jeff used his thumb to brush them away, locking eyes with the teenager._

_"It's okay to be afraid, Scotty," he whispered gently, knowing that it wasn't the actual hospital that had Scott so freaked, but what had happened last time he was here. His breath hitching in his throat, Scott swallowed hard, obviously not wanting to break down completely in front of his father. Jeff wasn't fooled for an instant, however. He may not have been around for the boys as much as he should have over the last year, but even Jeff knew his eldest son well enough to know when Scott was holding back. And this time, there were no younger brothers around to draw his attention._

"_N'fraid." Scott muttered through his tears, his posture and the fact that he couldn't get the words out properly giving him away, however._

"_Scott, please. You don't have to hide how you are feeling, not from me."_

"_I just want to go home!" Scott practically yelled, his tone taking on an almost desperate note. Before Jeff could react, he had swung his legs out of bed. Jeff didn't think he had ever moved so fast, but he was around the other side of the bed within a matter of seconds, making it just in time to catch Scott as his legs refused to support his weight. Sitting him back down on the bed, Jeff pulled himself up next to his son, wrapping his arm around Scott's shoulders and almost forcing the stubborn teenager to lean on him._

_"Just wanna go home," Scott repeated quietly, the exhaustion more than apparent in his voice as he gave in, leaning against his father._

_"I know, kiddo. So do I. But we don't have a choice; we have to stay for now."_

_"But..."  
_

"_Scott," Jeff interrupted, gently but firmly. He knew that he wasn't getting through to his son, so he was going to have to take the firmer approach in order to get the boy to relax. "I know you don't want to be here. But the more you kick up a fuss, the longer they are going to keep you in here, do you understand? If you just relax, they'll let you go home."_

_"When?"_

"_Soon, Scott, soon. How about you try and get some more sleep, son? The time will go quicker like that." Navigating the pair of them around so that Scott was lying back down, Jeff was more than aware they were mirroring the position Scott had held Virgil in only a few days ago. Hoping that if his son realised, he would accept the same sense of safety that his brother had, Jeff found his hand methodically combing itself through Scott's hair._

_"You need a haircut, kid." He hadn't meant to say it out loud, it was just the first absurd thought that came into his head, but to his delight, Scott let out a weak chuckle, as if he was almost stunned that his father could be thinking about such things_.

_"John's is longer," he muttered, letting his eyes shut as he leant against his father. Smiling in relief at the calmer tone to Scott's voice, Jeff forced himself to relax, hoping that his son would be able to pick up on it._

"_So why is Gordon's so much shorter? Virgil's is certainly getting long." Sensing more than seeing the smile make its way onto Scott's face, Jeff wanted to yell out in delight. This was the most relaxed he had seen the boy in months._

"_We had to get it cut," Scott said tiredly, not wanting to admit that he was losing the fight against the pull of sleep once more. "He dyed it green."_

"_He what?" Jeff all but yelped, but only a soft snore met his exclamation. Smiling down at the top of Scott's head, the father knew he was going to end up with a very stiff arm considering the position they were in, but found that he didn't particularly care. Whilst the sedation coursing through his system was reason enough for Scott to be exhausted, Jeff was well aware of the fact that this was the first time Scott had chosen to allow his body to give in to the pull of sleep. He could only hope it was a new beginning._

_A few hours had passed, and Jeff was just beginning to feel like he was losing all feeling in his arm, when something made him frown in confusion. He had pulled the covers up as best as he could without waking his sleeping son, trying to make Scott as comfortable as possible considering their strange and somewhat unusual position. But now he was sure that he could feel the boy shaking against his arm. Peering down at the top of Scott's head, Jeff knew immediately that he was still asleep, but something was very wrong._

_"Scott?" Calling gently, Jeff managed to somehow slip his arm out from under his son, lowering him onto the pillows and giving him a clear view of his son's face. Fright was etched into Scott's features, his head automatically twisting away from his father now that he had movement back. Hearing Scott's breath hitch in his throat, Jeff slipped off the bed, rounding it and crouching down the other side. Reaching out, he stroked Scott's hair back from his forehead, grimacing slightly as he felt the sweat beading it. He knew what this sign meant._

"_Scott, wake up, son! You're having a nightmare; you need to wake up now." _

_Despite his father's commanding tone, Scott slept on, too trapped in his own mind to pay attention to what Jeff was saying. Knowing that the sedative would make him harder to rouse than normal, Jeff firmly shook his son by the shoulder. Rather than waking up, however, Scott let out a small whimper, his head tossing away again. Swallowing his own distress, Jeff pulled himself into a more upright position, but before he could get any further than that, Scott screamed. A shrill, harsh noise that had broken Jeff's heart the first time he had heard it was sent echoing around the room, the boy's movements getting more and more frantic as he twisted in the sheets, entangling himself as he did so. Barely aware of the sound of feet running towards the room, Jeff sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning over his teenage son._

_"Scott! Listen to me. Come back to me, Scott, we need you. Come on, son, wake up. That's enough now, come back, Scotty."_

_Catching one of Scott's flailing arms in his hand, Jeff pushed on, knowing that it was going to do Scott no good at all if he woke up in a room full of strangers. He heard the door open behind him, heard one of the on-call doctors swear in surprise before hearing the sound of him heading towards the bed. Beginning to get desperate, Jeff took Scott by both shoulders and gave him a firm shake._

_"Scott Carpenter Tracy, it is time you did as you were told, young man. Now wake up!" To Jeff's delight, the screams instantly stopped. Very, very slowly, Scott's eyes opened, causing Jeff to immediately pull his son against him, doing anything he could to get rid of the haunted look that lingered there._

"_It's over, Scotty. You're safe, everyone is safe."_

"_He...he's not..." Swallowing hard, Scott seemed determined to get to the end of his sentence and Jeff was certainly not going to make any attempt to stop him. If Scott could let out what was on his mind, Jeff knew it would work wonders._

"He's not letting me go."

"_Yes he is, Scott," Jeff whispered directly into his ear, ignoring the way the young doctor was hovering uncertainly, clearly not sure whether he was needed or not. "He has, we won. We have you back, back with your family. He can never hurt you again."_

_"I saw him, Dad," Scott managed to force out, despite his voice cracking halfway through. "Just standing there, watching. And waiting." _

_"Then he is going to be waiting forever, because he is never coming near you or your brothers again, I swear it."_

_"I'm scared, Dad." _

_Barely hearing Scott's whisper, Jeff immediately felt tears well up in his own eyes as he felt Scott's defences lower. Considering how adamant Scott had been only a few hours before that he was not afraid, Jeff knew that for his son to finally admit it, was a sign that he was finally overcoming the first hurdle. He had seen Scott angry, withdrawn, quiet, even frustrated since the events of that weekend. But never once had he seen Scott let anyone witness him at his most vulnerable. Having seen the videos that Blag had used as a means of contacting him, Jeff knew why. He had seen the maniac practically destroy his son through all that Scott had had to witness and suffer. And that gave him all the answers he needed. Scott knew he had been vulnerable and alone then. So he was damned if anyone was going to see that side of him again._

"_It's okay, baby. It's alright to be scared. John's scared. Virgil's scared. Gordon and Alan are scared. And so am I, Scott. I'm scared of losing you all over again, scared that one day I will wake up and find that we were too late." Swallowing hard, Jeff shut his eyes, immediately being assaulted with images of Turner standing over Scott once more. His son hadn't been the only one who had been hiding how afraid he had been._

"_But then I see you there, see your brothers, and I know that you are all safe."_

"_When is he going to leave me alone?" Scott whispered, shuddering slightly and making as if to draw back from his father. In turn, however, Jeff merely held on tighter, knowing that if Scott drew back, he would once again put the barriers up. This time, Jeff was determined to keep them down. It was about time Scott accepted that he was safe once and for all. They couldn't keep going on the way they had been._

"_I can't answer that, Scott. But I do know that we are all here for you. We always have been, we always will be, all of us, even Alan. Especially Alan. Don't let him win, Scotty."_

_"I don't know how."_

"_That one is easy," Jeff responded with a laugh, pushing Scott away from him so that he could look his son directly in the eye. "You tell him. You tell yourself, Scotty. You look in that mirror and tell yourself that he has not – and never will – win. Can you promise me that you'll do that, Scott? Promise that you won't let him win?"_

_"I promise," Scott said quietly, the tremble in his voice clearly betraying that whilst he might have been saying it, he didn't truly believe it. Resting back on the pillows, it didn't take long for his eyes to flicker shut again and for his breathing to even out. Letting out an explosive breath, Jeff leant back, running a hand through his hair._

_"Nicely handled, Sir." _

_His head twisting so fast he thought his neck would crack, Jeff had completely forgotten about the young doctor still hovering in the room. _

"_Hardly."_

"_Oh trust me, if you both carry on like that, he will be right as rain in a couple of days."_

"_How can you say that?" Jeff all but cried, not understanding how the doctor could be so relaxed about what the two Tracys had just discussed. Fixing him with a rather stern look, the young man folded his arms across his chest, pointedly raising an eyebrow as he looked towards Scott._

_"What can you hear, Sir?"_

"_Wha-? Nothing."_

_"Exactly. He'll be able to go home tomorrow." And so saying, the doctor walked from the room, leaving Jeff staring after him in surprise. What had the man meant? As Jeff too turned his glance towards the snoozing teenager, he suddenly realised. He had managed to calm Scott down enough to let him go back to sleep. For the first time in over a month, Scott had banished his demons enough to let his mind and body properly relax. They had done it! They had overcome the first hurdle. Slipping himself from the bed and back onto the chair, Jeff leant his elbows on his knees, leaning forward so that his face was resting in his hands. He wasn't naive; he knew they still had a long way to go. But maybe now, for the first time, they would be able to properly take a step forward, rather than carrying on going around in the circles they seem to have been trapped in._

_TBTBTB_

_The night was an eventful one. Scott had awoken nearly every hour for the first three, the screams giving way to huge sobs before Jeff finally got him calm enough to go back to sleep. As the night drew on, the teenager was able to stay asleep for longer and longer each time, although his watching father had intervened more than once, waking him up before the nightmare got too bad. By the time the nurse came in on her morning round, Scott had managed to find some sort of peace, and Jeff was utterly exhausted._

"_You need a coffee, you do, Sir," she told him cheerfully, checking a reading and making a note on Scott's chart. As he watched, Jeff couldn't help but wonder how full the boys' records had suddenly become over the last month, what with everything that had happened. Before he could say anything though, Scott stirred once more._

_"Dad?" His voice sounding hoarse and rough from the use it had received over the night, Scott rubbed his eyes as he slowly sat up, looking utterly exhausted. Jeff was sure that his son's eyes were clearer though, the normal haunted look fading ever so slightly as his son leant back, watching Jeff closely._

_"How are you feeling, Scott?" _

"_I wanna go home," Scott mumbled, his voice more than reflecting his exhaustion. Sparing a glance at the nurse to see her reaction before he started promising his son something he couldn't deliver, Jeff felt relieved at the small nod she gave him._

"_I'll get the doctor to come and give you the all clear then, shall I, sweetie?" As she bustled out, Scott turned towards his father, surprise more than evident in his face._

_"I can really go home?"_

"_Why, you changed your mind?" Jeff teased lightly, smiling reassuringly at his son. He had spoken to one of the doctors during the night after the man had been sent running for the teenager's room for the third time. With the rest of the ward fairly quiet, he had stayed to give the tired father some company. Looking back now, Jeff was glad. It had meant that time was saved this morning; he had already talked through various different programmes and solutions that could be used to help Scott return to a normal sleeping pattern and be able to move on with his life._

_"Take me home, Dad," Scott pleaded, his eyes swimming with tears once more, his exhaustion making him lose any control he had over his emotions._

_"Sure thing, kiddo."_

_And that was just what Jeff did. Wrapped in his own dressing gown brought from home, Scott allowed his father to help him to and from the car at both ends of the journey. As he pushed the door to the house open, Jeff found that he was quickly brought up short by the sound of laughter bouncing down the stairs. Raising his eyebrows as John's giggles increased in pitch, he gently pushed the door to the lounge open, leading his son in and sitting Scott down on the couch. Straightening up, he frowned as he watched Scott lean back, still concerned by how pale the boy was. He had phoned home whilst the doctor was checking his son out, telling his mother what was going on, but telling her not to tell the boys, just in case something delayed them. The last thing he wanted was to get their hopes up, only to have them dashed again. As his mother came bustling in from the kitchen, he smiled. It was time to find his sons._

_Shutting the door behind him in an attempt to keep the surprise for a bit longer, Jeff quickly jogged up the stairs, letting the noise lead him. _

And that was where he was still was now, just waiting whilst the boys calmed down a little.

"Boys?" Craning his head around again towards the door, John was the first to catch sight of his father standing in the doorway. Jerking his head towards the door, he quickly brought his brothers' attention to who was home.

As Alan gave a small yell of delight and pulled himself to his feet again, Jeff bent down, scooping his youngest son into his arms and giving him a long overdue cuddle. He had been concerned about the mood that had infiltrated the household on his brief visits home, his own mood not helped by his conversations with his mother. As Gordon gave another annoyed hiccup, Jeff felt his smile widen.

"You okay there, Gordy?"

Nodding, Gordon finally relinquished his hold on his brother's legs, spinning around to face his father.

"Daddy, Grandma said you had a surprise for us."

"Gordon!" Virgil instantly hissed, also letting go of his older brother. "You can't say things like that."

"Why – hic – not, Virgy?" Gordon asked, accusations burning in his voice. "Grandma said he did, so it must be true."

As Virgil opened his mouth to make a retort back, Jeff smoothly cut in. He had no desire for the relaxed atmosphere to be spoilt.

"Your grandmother is indeed right. If you let your brother up off the floor and come downstairs, you'll see." Immediately, both Gordon and Virgil jumped to their feet and raced for the stairs, but waited at the top, knowing the rules. As John climbed to his feet, he rotated his shoulder slightly, making Jeff frown at him.

"Are you hurt, son?"

"I'm fine, Dad," John responded with a smile, meaning every word. To his surprise, he found it was true. He had been worried that he would feel his brothers' attack, but to his delight, he hadn't noticed a thing.

"Come on then, son. We don't want to keep your brothers waiting." Carrying Alan out, Jeff moved past his sons, leading the way down the stairs. Pausing outside the lounge, his hand resting on the closed door as he shifted Alan's position, Jeff took a moment to drink in the excited anticipation on their faces, silence falling across them apart from Gordon's hiccups. Smiling gently, he pushed open the door.

"Scott!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Can't believe how many of you are still with me on this, thank you so much. The sun is shining, it is a gorgeous day, and I get to whump those Tracys some more, what could be better? Thank you so much for those lovely reviews once more, especially those I cannot respond directly too, thank you!**

A few weeks passed, but considering the changes that had taken place within the Tracy household, it could have been years. Jeff's hopes that Scott had finally begun to come to terms with what had happened proved to be right, and the effect this had on the rest of the family was tremendous. It had now become a rare thing for Virgil to have a nightmare; only if something had happened that day would the child let out his concerns in his sleep. Gordon had managed to successfully catch John unawares and dump a whole barrel of plastic monkeys on his head, the first sign of the prankster Jeff had seen for over a year. John, in turn, had considerably relaxed, finally plucking up the courage to leave his sling at home. Whilst the young teenager still was suffering from the nightmares, it had not escaped his father's attention that they were not as frequent, nor as extreme.

But it was Scott who had taken them all by surprise. Jeff wasn't sure what he had been expecting to emerge as the result of the collapse, but one thing he knew for sure was that his son had come back, properly this time. With the guidance of the hospital staff they had managed to establish some sort of routine to stop Scott being scared of going to sleep. He was now the one waking up screaming nearly every night, but, whilst it broke Jeff's heart, he knew that it was a step in the right direction. Nightmares they could deal with; at least it meant that during the day, thanks to the small amount of sleep he was now getting, he was far more relaxed. The quiet, withdrawn and frustrated teenager had all but vanished, only having rare moments when something would catch him unaware and he would withdraw into the safety of his mind. But his brothers had begun to notice the signs, Virgil especially, and always managed to get through to him before he disappeared completely.

Virgil had returned to school almost the day after Scott had been released from the hospital, claiming that he was feeling ready. Jeff was sure it was more about trying to prove himself to his brother now that Scott was the one being forced to stay home whilst he let his body recover from the month of no sleep; Virgil was adamant that he didn't need to be there too. In a way, Jeff had a feeling that his son was feeling guilty. Guilty for the fact that he had just got over what Scott was now going through, and so didn't want to be around all day as a reminder that he was now fine. Well, as close to fine as his father could hope for. Either way, Jeff couldn't complain. With Virgil ready to face the world again and Gordon coming back out of his shell, he really felt that for the first time they were striding forward, tackling things as a family and actually managing to overcome the obstacles in their way for once.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Jeff knew he needed to drive on, but was unable to resist the temptation to watch John and Virgil walk into school together. He had managed to persuade the two boys to let him drop them off and pick them up, at least whilst Scott was still at home. He didn't want Virgil getting the bus yet - whilst he had every faith in his son, he wanted to make sure that the boy was more than ready before he attempted it. If he was completely honest, Jeff knew he was waiting until his oldest son returned before he would let Virgil try it. If Scott was there, the chances were that Virgil would be fine, but until that day, Jeff had insisted. Virgil had grumbled, but to his surprise, John had leapt on the opportunity to not get the bus, looking as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. As Alan let out another noise of protest, Jeff glanced in his mirror to see Gordon had taken one of the toddler's toy cars, an impish grin on his face, holding it just out of his brother's reach as Alan continuously tried stretching for it.

"Gordon." Jeff said warningly, catching the redhead's eye in the mirror and causing Gordon to jump guilty, giving the toy back. Trying to hide his smile, Jeff finally put the car in gear and moved on. He knew that Gordon hadn't realised that his father had been watching. It was small incidents like this that made Jeff realise that whilst the boys felt like he was the one properly in control again, they had yet to adapt their behaviour. Gordon had yet to realise that whilst he may have been able to behave like this under Scott, his father was not going to stand for it. Jeff knew it was almost subconscious, that the seven year old wasn't deliberately trying to push his father, he had just become too used to being able to get away with a lot more than he could now.

Glancing back over his shoulder, John watched the family car finally disappear around the corner. Sharing a grin with his younger brother, the two of them made their way into the building.

"4.6 minutes," John said softly, glancing at his watch before looking sideways at Virgil, just in time to catch the eye roll that accompanied his older brother's words.

"He moved quicker than yesterday then. Any bets on tomorrow's time?"

"Virgil!" John protested, although the laughter could be heard in his voice. "We can't make bets on how long it takes Dad to drive off."

"Why not?"

"It's...it's...it's not dignified."

"Dignified?" Virgil responded with a muffled snort, glancing in amusement at John. "You have a weird vocabulary, bro."

"Whatever," John mumbled, glancing along the corridor he needed to go down to check it was clear. Hoping that Virgil hadn't noticed his look, he then checked out the younger boy's route, thankful that there was no sign of Spencer. John had only seen him once since the incident, but the look of loathing the older boy had shot him had made John all but run in the opposite direction, thankful that neither of his brothers had been around to witness it.

"See you later, John." Making to walk off, Virgil paused when he heard a voice call him back.

"Five bucks he does it in less than four minutes."

"Less than four? No chance. Prepare to pay up, Johnny." With a smirk, Virgil finally walked off. As soon as he rounded the corner though, he stopped, leaning against the wall as he waited. They might be making bets on their father's timing, but Virgil knew John well enough to be able to predict his older brother's actions. He counted slowly to twenty under his breath before cautiously sticking his head back around the corner. Sure enough, John had only just turned to walk off, clearly having been watching Virgil for as long as possible.

"What has you so spooked, big brother?" Virgil muttered, frowning up the corridor at his older brother's figure. With a quick glance at his own watch, Virgil knew he still had a few moments before he had to be in his own room, and as he watched the defeated silhouette of his brother disappear around the next corner, he made up his mind. He had a very good idea what was going on, the conversation he had overheard at the hospital had given him a lot of the answers. But he simply didn't understand how John could have let it get this bad.

Jogging down the corridor, Virgil could only hope that no one caught him. If any teacher saw the eleven-year-old running down the corridor in the exact opposite direction to where he needed to be, he would never hear the end of it. Whilst that in itself didn't bother Virgil - he had been in trouble enough times at his previous school - he didn't want John to know that he had been attempting to follow him. Slowing down as he reached the corner, Virgil came to a stop, biting his lip with indecision. There were only straight corridors as soon as he rounded this corner, meaning that if John so much as glanced behind him, he would not be able to miss his brother. And with the arguments only just beginning to lessen between them, Virgil had no desire to restart them again. He was just getting used to the peace that had fallen over the household over the last few weeks.

Taking a deep breath, Virgil forced himself around the corner, almost tempted to close his eyes in order to avoid knowing whether he was going to be caught out or not. He took one glance up the corridor and practically threw himself back around it again, his heart hammering hard. He only hoped that the movement hadn't been seen by the two boys standing almost directly in front of him. Straining his ears, Virgil pushed himself closer to the edge, getting as close to the corner as he could without rounding it.

"...think you have friends in high places," a voice snarled, the tone unfamiliar to the eleven-year-old. He had seen enough to know that it was Harry Spencer who was pinning his brother to the wall though, John's hand desperately trying to pry the older boy's fingers away from his collar. Wondering what he could do that wouldn't result in John getting hurt, Virgil opted for just listening. With any luck, his big brother would be able to talk his way out of trouble - John was somewhat gifted when it came to words. John's response was lost to the younger boy, but whatever he had said, Spencer was clearly not happy.

"I don't give a damn whether you meant for it to happen or not! I'm telling you, blondie, you are going to regret this."

Hearing a slam, Virgil threw caution to the wind and stuck his head back around again, needing to know what was happening. Spencer was stalking off in the other direction, and, watching him go, Virgil felt a sudden surge of anger shoot through him. Who did the boy think he was, threatening John like that? No one threatened one of Virgil's brothers - older or younger - in his hearing and got away with it. His mind already running through ways he could make the bully pay for what he was doing, Virgil finally tore his eyes away from Spencer's back, letting them rest on John. The teenager was leaning shakily against the wall, and as Virgil watched, he swallowed hard, a sign Virgil knew to mean that he was holding back tears. Seeing how much it had affected his brother only fuelled Virgil's anger and before he knew what he was doing, he had taken a step forward.

"Virgil?"

"Why haven't you said anything, Johnny?" Virgil whispered, finding that his voice suddenly wasn't working properly. He couldn't believe that John had been hiding something this big from the entire family.

"It doesn't matter."

"John, you have to tell Dad."

Before Virgil realised that his brother had moved, he found himself pinned against the wall in a position similar to the one John himself had just been in. Unable to stop the gasp escaping him, Virgil forced his mind to keep calm, telling himself that it was only John, nothing was going to happen.

"He can't find out," John hissed, somewhat threateningly. He knew he was scaring the younger boy, but he would much rather Virgil got a fright from him and stayed out of it than that he ended up on the wrong side of Spencer. "Neither can anyone else for that matter. You got that?"

"John, let go," Virgil gasped, pulling fruitlessly at his brother's hand and trying to stop the tears building in his eyes.

"Do you understand?"

"Johnny..."

"Get it, Virg?"

"Okay, okay. Please, John, let go..." After what seemed a lifetime to the squirming boy, John eventually relinquished his grip, immediately turning on his heel and walking off down the corridor. He knew that it would seem to Virgil like he didn't care, but that was far from the truth. He couldn't face the accusing and scared look in his little brother's eyes, knowing that he was the one who had put it there. If it worked though, John knew it would be worth the tension. It was better Virgil hated him than Spencer went after the kid. At least this way, John could still protect him.

TBTBTB

The day was a strange one. A stony silence had fallen between the two brothers by the time they got into the car, ignoring their father's attempts at making conversation. They had only seen each other once all day after the morning's drama, and John had turned and walked off so quickly that Virgil was left wondering whether he had even seen his brother at all. Sparing him somewhat cautious glances from time to time as they drove home, he couldn't deny that he had never seen this side of John before. He had been there when the blond had taken the gun from Scott, seen the look on John's face then. That had been pure hatred, something Virgil didn't know his brother was even capable of possessing. But there had been something desperate about the way John had held him against the wall, his eyes almost pleading with his brother to not do anything. One thing Virgil was sure of, however, thanks to the conversation he had overheard at the hospital, was that it was not himself John was trying to protect by lashing out.

As the car pulled up on the drive, John was practically out of the door like a flash, barely giving the car time to stop.

"What is going on with that boy?" Jeff muttered, more to himself than Virgil, but he was not expecting his middle son to jump violently at his question, glancing almost guiltily towards John. As if knowing he was being talked about, John turned from where he had been waiting, locking eyes with his brother and shaking his head, clearly knowing what the conversation in the car was going to be about. Holding his gaze challengingly for a few moments, Virgil eventually glanced away, feeling ashamed at the fact he couldn't stand up to his brother.

"Nothing." Looking up, Virgil caught his father's gaze in the mirror, before once more dropping his eyes. He knew that look. Jeff hadn't believed him for an instant, but, reluctant to push the boys too far considering they had only just begun piecing their lives back together, the father sighed, switching off the ignition and stepping out of the car. Through lucky timing, he had managed to pick up the younger two, drop them off at home and then go to collect John and Virgil. His mother was around every day now, looking after Scott whilst Jeff went into the office. He had tried to get more time off, but his son hadn't let him, saying that he wanted things to go on as normally as possibly whilst he was at home, and that included his father going into work. Whilst he was more than proud of Scott for his decision, Jeff couldn't help but notice how readily his eldest son had agreed to his grandmother coming over during the day.

Letting the boys into the house, Jeff stood back as John immediately disappeared up the stairs, muttering something about homework under his breath. One glance at Virgil's face as he watched his brother go, however, meant Jeff knew that was far from the case. Something had happened between them during the day, that much was clear. They had managed to go the last few weeks without arguing, although both Jeff and Scott had defused a situation that would have easily led to one. He knew the boys would argue - they had done so even before all of this - but what broke the father's heart was the fact that he knew it was a sense of desperation that had them making the snide remarks. They didn't want to lose each other, and so found themselves at a loss for what to say in order to get through the slightly awkward situations they were now finding themselves in.

Moving into the lounge, Jeff smiled softly at the sight of his other sons. Gordon was spread out on the floor, attempting some sort of homework he had obviously been set, his tongue poking out in concentration as he carefully coloured in whatever the picture was supposed to be. But it was his oldest and youngest that really had Jeff smiling. Scott was stretched out on the couch, a blanket over his legs from where he had clearly been resting. He certainly wasn't doing that now, however. Rolled over on his side, he was leaning over the edge, helping Alan with the puzzle the toddler was doing. As Jeff silently watched, he couldn't help but marvel at the way Scott knew precisely when Alan would accept the help, and when he wouldn't. Not to mention the subtle pushes of the right piece towards the little boy when he was looking confused.

"Daddy, I'm stuck!" Gordon suddenly declared, drawing Jeff's attention and making the father smile down at him. He hadn't even realised that the boys were aware that they were home, but he should have known. There wasn't a lot that could get past his children when they had their minds set to it. Crossing the room, Jeff crouched down next to his redhead, trying not to wince at the mess Gordon called a picture. One thing was for sure, he had not inherited the same artistic streak as his immediate older brother.

Said brother was hovering uncertainly outside of the door, watching the interaction between his father and siblings. He desperately wanted to go in there, to tell the older ones precisely what was going on with John, even if it meant his brother hating him for it. He knew John was hurting over what was going on, and the last thing Virgil wanted was to make it worse. He knew that something needed to be done, however, knew that Spencer could not be allowed to get away with it any longer. The way John had reacted to the first incident that Virgil had been present for on the bus made the younger boy more than aware that this had been going on for some time; John had seemed almost resigned to the comments.

With a glance up the stairs, Virgil bit his lip, trying to pluck up the courage to walk through the door. They wouldn't be mad at him, he was sure of that. He knew Scott would most likely have the obvious reaction, jumping up from where he lay and making to stride out of the door. With a slight smile, Virgil was only thankful that he could once again predict his biggest brother's actions; there had been a time when he didn't think he would ever be able to again. Jeff would probably stand up, looking down on his son with that expression that Virgil could never quite define. It seemed the same, yet different each time Jeff used it.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Virgil reached out a hand to push the door open properly.

"You promised, Virgil."

Jumping at the quiet voice that had suddenly come from behind him, Virgil turned to see John standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching his brother closely. His words and posture meant Virgil knew the blond had known precisely what had been going through his head.

"They have to know, John," Virgil responded, his voice just as soft. When John didn't react, he took another step forward. He had just touched the wood when an arm looped around his shoulders, pulling him forcefully away.

"John, you can't hide it!"

"And it is none of your business!" John responded angrily, desperately trying to hold onto his struggling brother. As Virgil opened his mouth again, John knew instantly that he was about to yell for their father, or even worse, Scott. Doing the only thing he could think of, he clapped his hand over his brother's mouth, pulling him further away from the door.

The reaction was not one he had been expecting, but on second thoughts, he knew he should have. Virgil instantly fell still, before lashing out violently, taking John by surprise and making him let go.

"Virg, I'm sorry..." As Virgil turned towards him, John felt a stab of guilt shoot through him at the tears running down his brother's face. He should have known it was a bad idea, but he had been so desperate to keep the family from knowing that he had reacted without thinking about what dragging his brother away would do. For a moment, Virgil merely stared at him, his breathing somewhat frantic. As John took a step towards him, the artist suddenly bolted.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled, running for the stairs as he did so. Immediately Jeff appeared at the doorway and through the gap John could see Scott sitting up, turning towards the door in concern.

"What happened?" the father asked quietly, his tone leaving no room for avoidance even as Virgil's bedroom door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

"Nothing," John muttered, looking at the floor. He knew he should tell his father what had happened, especially considering Virgil's reaction, but that would involve admitting why he had done it in the first place, making the whole thing rather pointless.

"John," Jeff said warningly, wondering what was wrong with his two middle sons. They had been acting strangely ever since he had seen them walk out from school.

"Jeff?" Hearing his name, Jeff finally looked away from John to see his mother standing in the kitchen doorway, her flowery apron made slightly more impressive by the rolling pin she had in her hands. As soon as he had looked away from his son, however, John had mirrored his brother's actions and sprinted for the stairs before Jeff could stop him. Taking a step towards the stairs, the father couldn't help but groan at the voice that called him back.

"They need some time to cool down, Jefferson."

"Mom, I know how to handle my own sons."

"Of course you do, sweetheart. That's why you won't mind popping out for a few moments and going to pick up those remaining groceries that you promised me you would get."

"Now?" Jeff whined, sounding more like a teenage son than a father, and making his mother fix him with a look he had not been on the receiving end of for quite a few years.

"Yes, _now._ And by the time you get back, your boys will be ready to tell you what is going on."

Opening his mouth to protest, Jeff backed down as his mother raised her eyebrows, looking at him rather pointedly. Hearing a laugh from behind him, Jeff turned to find Scott grinning up at him.

"You should know not to go against Grandma, Dad," he said smugly, the laughter all too evident in his voice. Fixing him with the same look his mother had just subjected him to, Jeff grinned.

"Watch it, kiddo, you aren't too old to be tickled."

"Jeff, I need those groceries!"

"I'm going, Mother. Give a man a chance!" Ignoring Scott's laugh, Jeff headed for the door. If he was honest, the laugh was making his heart feel lighter than ever before; he knew that not that long ago it certainly wouldn't have been present. Wondering if their older brother would have more luck at getting through to his troublesome sons, Jeff picked up his keys, and within moments, was letting himself back into the car.

In no time at all, he was pulling back out onto the road, teasing more speed out of his car as he headed for the main roads. Easing back again, he settled comfortably in his seat, his mind wondering about his sons as he navigated his way to the store. Pulling the car smoothly to a stop as the lights changed, he had to admit he was disturbed by John and Virgil's latest fight. Normally, the two boys were very vocal with each other when they were not happy with something, but there had been something silent, something deadly going on between them this time. Thinking back to their exit from school, Jeff felt his frown deepen. Although coming from opposite directions, Virgil had quite clearly turned away from his brother as he approached the car, doing everything he could in order to not make eye contact with John. In return, John hadn't exactly made an effort to get through to his brother. Wondering what could possibly be that bad, Jeff sighed as he flicked the car back into gear and pulled forward again.

What he didn't see, however, was the young driver coming from the opposite direction. He didn't notice the man recklessly swerve around another parked car, didn't seem him completely disregard the fact that the lights on his stretch of the road were still red. In fact, Jeff didn't notice him at all until a sudden screech of metal made his head twist sharply as he watched the vehicle skid out of control. And before he could react, the wild vehicle had ploughed into the side of his own car.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you again for all of those wonderful reviews, especially Teobi and LiGi!**

Watching Alan for a few more moments, Scott found his eyes involuntarily drawn towards the doorway, wondering if one of his missing younger brothers was suddenly going to materialise. He knew the pair of them had always fought; they were too different to react the same way to situations. John, with his calm steadiness would be the one standing and watching. Virgil, however, was more likely to be in the thick of things, his musical talents meaning that he would often be venting his emotions in some way or another that would result in noise. Considering everything that had been going on, Scott was not the slightest bit surprised the two of them were clashing. But nor had he forgotten Samson's words from a few days before: something else was going on with his star-loving brother. Despite his determination to find out what it was, Scott found that it had been pushed from his mind as he came to terms with dealing with his own problems.

Since then, what with being forced to stay home, he'd had no chance to observe the blond. One thing that had been playing on his mind, however, was John's behaviour in the corridor on the day Scott had collapsed. He found that his mind had been going back over it more and more over the last few days now that he had begun to think clearly again. Whilst he didn't know precisely what had made John react like that, Scott had narrowed it down to one thing: it was a person. There was obviously a certain individual who was making John jumpy, but for the life of him, Scott couldn't work out who it was. Considering they had been travelling down the corridor in the changeover of lessons, it could have been practically anyone in the school who had caused John to bolt in the opposite direction. Scott knew, however, that as soon as he was back on his feet and had returned to school, he was going to find out. A fiery determination had once more awoken in him over the last few days: to make everything better for his brothers in the way he once had. Whilst he would love to be able to do it now, even going up and down the stairs was wearing him out. No, he would have to wait until he was fit to go back to school. One thing was certain, however, whoever this was, he was going to find out precisely what happened when you messed with one of Scott Tracy's little brothers.

As he absentmindedly watched Alan finally turn the piece the right way around and fix it to the jigsaw after about five attempts, Scott suddenly sat up, thinking hard. If someone was causing John trouble, what if Scott wasn't the only one figuring things out? It would certainly explain the hostility between his two little brothers. What if Virgil knew - and John knew that he knew? John had always kept things to himself; it was what had made him so withdrawn after their mother's death. He would not be happy if his younger brother had been attempting to get involved, that was for sure. Throwing the blanket off his legs, Scott slowly stood up, smiling reassuringly as Gordon looked up in concern. He would never have thought the lively little boy would be so good at keeping control of his energy when he had to, but no one, not even Grandma, could fault Gordon's behaviour over the last few weeks. With a wry grin, Scott knew that as soon as he returned to school, chaos would break loose as Gordon let out all of that pent-up energy that he had been forced to keep in.

Making his way slowly out of the room, Scott paused for a moment before he faced the stairs. It was strange: before his collapse he'd had no trouble at all with moving around, but now it was as if his body had suddenly realised what he had been doing and was choosing this time to protest about it. Hearing the phone ring, Scott ignored it, knowing that with his grandmother around, he had no need to be the one to pick it up, not anymore.

Just as he went to take the first step up the stairs to try and get some answers out of his little brothers, he heard a sudden crash from the kitchen. John and Virgil's argument momentarily forgotten, he turned on his heel and moved towards the kitchen, seeing Gordon appear at the lounge doorway as he did so.

Entering the kitchen, Scott knew immediately something was wrong. A broken vase was sitting on the floor, his grandmother clearly having been the one to drop it. But that in itself was wrong, for she never dropped anything. Feeling the roof of his mouth suddenly go dry, Scott swallowed hard as he let his eyes drift up from the floor. His grandmother was sitting shakily on the edge of a chair, her face pale as she stared at the phone in her hand with something that looked suspiciously like panic.

"Grandma?"

Hearing the voice come from behind him, Scott whipped around quickly. Gordon was watching the old lady with a look Scott knew was reflected on his own face. What the older brother was seeing however, was the child's bare feet and the broken glass on the floor.

"Gordon, out!"

"I don't want to; I want to see if Grandma is okay."

His own tiredness – not to mention the fact that he knew something was very wrong – made Scott snap. Taking a step forward, he seized the seven-year-old around the waist, picked him up and practically dumped him in the hallway, shutting the door behind him and ignoring the very loud protests that he got for his actions.

"Scotty, open the door! You can't just shut me out like that. Scott!" Ignoring Gordon's yells, Scott instead only had eyes for his grandmother.

"Grandma? What is it? What's wrong?" To his concern, Scott found that his grandmother seemed almost incapable of answering him, something that was so unlike the old lady that Scott felt his heart hammering hard against his chest. Hearing a slightly tinny noise, he glanced around the kitchen in concern, before his eyes fell on the phone still clutched in her hand. Whoever was on the other end had yet to hang up.

Crossing the kitchen in a few short steps, Scott reached out and pulled the phone from her unresisting hand. For a few seconds, she didn't react, then suddenly seemed to realise what he was about to do, and rose unsteadily to her feet, taking a step forward, her hand already outstretched to take the phone back off him. Shaking his head, Scott stepped backwards out of the way.

"Dear..."Grandma had no time to stop him, however, as Scott raised it to his ear. After all, what could possibly be said that came anywhere near some of the things he had heard?

"Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"Who is _this?_" Scott repeated, shooting his grandmother a quizzical look and taking another step out of her reach as she moved to take the phone from him again. If she wasn't going to tell him what was going on, he would just have to find out himself.

"Kansas General, Emergency Room."

His breath hitching in his throat, Scott swallowed drily, locking eyes with Grandma with a certain sense of desperation.

"Who is this?"

"Scott Tracy. Why are you calling?"

"Scott Tracy? Hmm... one of the sons, I presume? Scott, I need you to keep very calm here, but there has been an accident. Your father was involved in a car crash."

"What?" Scott practically yelled, mirroring his grandmother's position and sinking into the nearest chair, suddenly finding that his knees didn't want to support his weight. "Is he..?"

"He is going to be just fine, son. Is your grandmother still there, Scott?"

"Yeah," Scott whispered, his voice the exact opposite of his previous tone and coming out as barely more than a croak.

"Can you put her back on the line, son?" Mutely holding out the phone, Scott handed it back over before running a hand through his hair. How on earth could this be happening? Nothing ever hurt his father, that was what made him such a pillar of strength in Scott's eyes. Even when Jeff had withdrawn from them, he had never once shown his sons how much he was hurting. In Scott's mind, nothing could touch the man. Certainly not something as ordinary as this.

"Scotty?"

Looking up, Scott found that his grandmother was standing in front of him, the phone once more resting back in its cradle on the wall. Whatever the man the other end had said, it had clearly helped the woman gather her thoughts.

"How is he?" Scott's voice was barely audible in the silence of the kitchen, and normally, he knew that his grandmother would tell him off for mumbling. This time, however, she just rested her hand gently against the back of his head, an unspoken comfort that had always soothed the boy, no matter how old he was, or the situation.

"He has a broken arm, sprained ankle and a concussion, Scott."

"He'll be okay though, won't he?" Scott asked, his voice filled with a quiet desperation, making him sound like he was almost begging her to tell him that everything was going to be fine. He knew that it was the tone Gordon would come out with when something was wrong, that underlying plea that someone was just going to make all the problems disappear with a simple word. Thinking about the redhead, Scott suddenly realised that his brother had fallen quiet. No doubt Scott was going to have some grovelling to do later.

"They'll know when he wakes up."

"He's...he's unconscious?" This time, Scott could hear clearly the crack in his voice as he glanced down at his hands, balled into tight fists as he gripped onto the edge of the seat. Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, Scott looked up to find his grandmother crouched in front of him, her hands now resting lightly on his knees.

"He's going to be just fine, Scotty. After all, you and your brothers have to have got your strength from somewhere." And so saying, she gingerly pulled herself to her feet again, smoothing out the invisible creases from her apron and opening the door. Seeing the empty hallway, she sighed, before heading out to find her youngest grandsons. She didn't particularly want Gordon accusing his big brother considering what Scott had just found out.

"But I need him," Scott whispered into thin air, unshed tears restricting his voice. This couldn't be happening now. Not when the family was just beginning to put themselves back together again. Scott couldn't help but wonder how the news would affect his brothers. Despite the earlier argument, Virgil had really moved on lately, and whilst it wasn't quite as obvious as with his other brother, John too had made huge progress. Something like this could easily set them back again. And whilst he knew he was just about coping now, Scott knew he couldn't go through that again. None of them could.

"Get out of my room, Gordon!"

Jumping at the angry shout, Scott looked up. Breathing in deeply, he felt the tears subside,his shoulders dropping as he forced himself to relax. It was Jeff who had got them through this up to this point, but right now, Scott knew it was up to him. Their grandmother might be able to comfort his brothers over the accident, and Scott had to admit that he really didn't want to be the one to have to break the news. But there was one role he could fulfil that would help things run more smoothly. One that he had been neglecting for far too long... It was once more time for Scott Tracy to be a big brother.

Quickly sweeping up the mess that was the broken glass, Scott made sure that the kitchen floor was once more safe for his younger brothers, knowing that Gordon especially hated wearing anything on his feet if he could help it. The last thing he needed right now was for one of them to cut themselves. With the kitchen safe once more, Scott headed up the stairs, only to find Gordon sitting in the middle of the hall floor, looking uncharacteristically glum.

"What's wrong, fish?" Scott asked gently, crouching down so that he was level with his brother. He knew precisely what was wrong; Scott's own dismissal of his presence followed by Virgil's shout would have no doubt left Gordon feeling somewhat rejected. And whilst the child would have never said anything, Scott had picked up enough from his few weeks at home to know that Gordon would hate that. There was a bonus to already being home when the younger ones arrived back with their father, he tended to catch their moods more successfully than he did when they were already settled when he walked through the door_. _ Not to mention all the one-sided conversations he had heard between his grandmother and father every time Jeff rang home. Scott knew far more about his brothers' reactions to what had happened from what he had picked up over the last fortnight than from the rest of the time put together.

"Virgil's being a -,"

"Gordon!" Scott broke in warningly, not being completely sure whether he wanted to hear what insult was about to come out of the seven-year-old's mouth.

"What?" Gordon cried, frustration more than apparent in his voice. "You shut me out, Virgil's shut me out, I can't even get through John's door. Maybe I should just find Allie, at least he doesn't always try and get rid of me!"

Before Scott could say anything, the redhead had leapt to his feet, making to walk angrily towards the stairs. Scott knew that whilst he hadn't been the best big brother lately, he still had the power to make Gordon calm down. But only if he stopped him now, for if the child reached the bottom of the stairs, he would have worked up a temper that would rival his older brothers'. And the last thing they needed now was that, especially considering what Scott knew he had to tell them.

Leaning forward, he caught Gordon by the wrist, tugging the younger boy back again. As soon as he was in reach, Scott pulled him down onto his lap, wrapping his arms firmly around his brother. For a few moments, Gordon struggled against the embrace, his annoyance not allowing him to simply accept it. Eventually though, he seemed to realise that he was not going to escape Scott's grip. Letting out an explosion of breath, he sagged back against his big brother.

"Why does no one want me, Scotty?" Gordon whispered tiredly as he leant his head back on Scott's shoulder, sighing deeply as he did so. Looking down at the top of his head, Scott stared at his little brother in amazement. Why on earth would Gordon think something like that?

Voicing his question, Gordon rolled his head back awkwardly so he was looking at Scott. "None of you will spend time with me. Well, you don't spend it with anyone, not any more. But every time I try and see Virg, we start off alright, then he just snaps at me. And Johnny..."

Breaking off, Gordon didn't realise quite the emotions he had just put Scott through with his innocent words. Scott had never considered how much Gordon might have noticed his withdrawal. If he was honest, he had only been thinking about John and Virgil, thinking that Gordon would have been too young to understand. Now, however, he realised how wrong he had been. Following Gordon's gaze, Scott found himself looking at John's shut door. No wonder Gordon was feeling left out. He had just got John back, only to feel like he was losing him again.

"Oh squirt," Scott muttered softly, resting his chin atop Gordon's head, wondering how he was going to make this better if Gordon felt like the older boy had really shut them all out. "It's not that. You know how much John and Virgil are arguing, they probably just don't want to have a fight with you as well, they are trying to protect you whilst they are tired."

Wondering if there was any truth in his words, or whether, like him, the pair of them hadn't realised how much their actions were affecting their younger brother, Scott didn't hear a door very quietly open. Sitting next to it, making sure he was out of sight, John had to admit he was wondering where this was going. Scott had developed quite a talent for making up excuses when it had been left to him to explain why their father wasn't going to be home for dinner again, and the blond was curious as to what was going on with Gordon. He hadn't seen the child this run-down for quite some time.

"So why did _you _shut me out?" Gordon demanded, a sullen note entering his voice as he attempted to glare at Scott, only found that the hand combing itself through his hair prevented movement quite successfully. "You're not tired; you've been sleeping all the time!"

Taking a deep breath, Scott tried to ignore the twisting feeling in his gut. He knew he had been right in thinking that Gordon was too young to understand everything, and his oldest brother's collapse and subsequent staying home from school was clearly one of the things that he had not been able to get his head around. Especially as no one had properly explained Virgil's own collapse to him, just saying that his artistic brother had a headache and so he needed to be quiet. That was all anyone ever told him these days: that he needed to be quiet, only they wouldn't tell him why!

"Grandma broke a vase, and you had nothing on your feet," Scott said truthfully, wondering if that would be enough to calm the boy down. As Gordon managed to wriggle out from his arms and climb to his feet, his hands resting on his hips in an uncanny impression of their father as he glared down at his older sibling, Scott sighed, knowing that it was going to take more than that. He still didn't notice the smallest of movements from just out of his line of sight as John shifted in order to see what Gordon was doing, unable to prevent the small chuckle that escaped him when he took in the redhead's posture. For a seven-year-old, Gordon could look quite intimidating. Scott wouldn't stand a chance against a look like that.

"Tell me the truth, Scott," Gordon demanded quietly, making his big brother hide a shudder at how much older the boy sounded. That was something that could certainly not be denied. The kidnap had definitely made them all grow up. "Grandma was upset, I saw her. Why?"

"Gords..."

"Just tell me!" Gordon yelled, his previous restraint vanishing as he let the stubborn seven-year-old surface once more. "I'm old enough to know, Scott, I'm not a baby."

"I know you're not, kiddo," Scott responded softly, tugging Gordon back towards him once more. As if sensing that Scott was giving in, Gordon let him.

"Gordy, Grandma got a phone call..."

"And?" Gordon prompted, making John grin. He certainly had their biggest brother cornered on this. Whatever was going on, Scott was going to have to say it, or risk Gordon exploding.

"Gordy, Dad's had an accident, he's in the hospital."

"What?" All of Gordon's previous temper suddenly vanished, his voice trembling as he turned big eyes on his brother, his expression all but pleading that it wasn't true.

"He's going to be fine, squirt, I promise. But that's what upset Grandma."

"Okay then."

"Okay? You are alright with it?"

"Well, you just promised he will be fine, so what is there to worry about?"

Acutely aware that his mouth was hanging open in surprise at Gordon's absolute faith in him, Scott merely blinked, not knowing what to say in response to a belief like that. He could only hope that Grandma was being as honest with him as he had tried to be with Gordon. For if he had just promised something he couldn't deliver, Scott knew full well what that would do to the child, especially considering it was their father they were talking about.

"Do you want to see if you can make Grandma feel better whilst I tell the others?" Scott asked quietly, not wanting Gordon to feel as if he was being shut out again. Something told him that it wouldn't go as smoothly with John and Virgil. They knew the realities of a car crash better than Gordon and Scott's word that their father was going to be fine would not necessarily be enough. And with Gordon taking it so well, Scott didn't want him to be around and risk getting upset at the reaction of the others. Gordon nodded, scampering for the stairs as Scott slowly drew himself to his feet. If he was honest, he had no idea how he was supposed to tell them.

Before he had long to think about it, however, John opened his door properly, also climbing to his feet and fixing his big brother with a look that made Scott' heart clench. John's face practically mirrored how Scott was feeling, the blond had also been relying on Jeff to make things better for the family. Nothing could hurt his dad, John was sure of it, even after seeing Jeff crumble when Blag had first threatened Scott. With the idea that image may now be shattered, John looked as lost as Scott felt.

"Seriously?" he asked quietly, his tone meaning Scott knew automatically that his brother had heard. Running a hand through his hair in agitation, the older boy sighed, glancing towards Virgil's door to see if he too had heard. At the sight of the firmly shut door, however, he knew it would still be up to him to tell him properly.

"Yeah, that was who was on the phone," he responded, his tone just as soft. Crossing the hallway, he rested a hand lightly on his brother's good shoulder.

"Grandma told me that he was going to be fine though, couple of broken bones, nothing more." Trying to hold John's gaze, Scott resisted the urge to look away, not wanting to admit that their father wasn't even conscious. They had both experienced that too much over the last month to accept that the same thing was happening to their father.

"Scott, what do we do?" John whispered, the lost feeling Scott himself had experienced coming to the surface. Strangely though, it had the opposite effect on the elder brother. With John voicing his worries, Scott felt his own disappear.

"We'll be fine, Johnny, we managed before."

"Yeah, but that was... well, you know, before..."

"John. We are going to be fine, trust me." Locking eyes with his brother, Scott smiled reassuringly, giving the blond's shoulder a comforting squeeze. As John swallowed hard before nodding, Scott nodded approvingly, knowing that the star-loving Tracy was going to be fine. Glancing once more towards Virgil's door, Scott sighed deeply. He had a feeling it was asking too much for a third brother to accept the news so calmly.

Walking across the hall, Scott rapped lightly on the door, waiting for a response. He didn't want to simply go barging in, especially considering how upset and worked-up the younger boy had been. When there was no answer, he knocked again.

"Go away!" Virgil yelled furiously, causing his brother to push against the door, frowning in a mixture of annoyance and concern when he felt the barricade the other side taking effect.

"Virgil, let me in, I need to talk to you!"

"_Now _you want to talk, Scott?" The angry response was slightly muffled through the door, but the accusing note was still apparent enough to make Scott wince. He knew his brother didn't mean it - they had partly repaired their relationship over the last few weeks in a way Scott still found hard to believe considering what he had put his brother through by shutting him out - but he also knew what Virgil was like when he was angry. One glance at John's face, and the older brother made to quickly open his mouth, knowing whatever was about to be said was not going to end well. He was too late, however.

"Dad's in hospital!" Silence met John's exclamation, before the sounds of the barricade being moved reached the brothers. Rather than being reassured, however, Scott merely groaned. Within a matter of seconds, Virgil's fearful face could be seen through the gap.

"What?" he asked, his voice mirroring both John's and Gordon's. Smiling gently down at him, Scott tried to look reassuring as his artistic brother turned to him for confirmation, seemingly trusting that Scott would have all the answers.

"There was an accident, Virg..." Before he could say anything else, Virgil had wrenched his door open and run down the stairs. As John turned to his brother quizzically, the slamming of the front door could be heard.

"Nicely done," Scott muttered drily, taking off down the stairs after Virgil. Pausing for a moment as he pulled on his shoes, he groaned again at seeing Gordon appear in the doorway.

"John, stop Gordon!" And with that, he too had run out of the house, a quick glance making him go sprinting down the road after his brother.

Virgil knew what he had done had been a bad idea, but only one thought had lodged itself in his head at the news; get to his father. Jeff had been the one to sit with him night after night with the nightmares, constantly reassuring him that everything was going to be okay again. Without his father there, Virgil was sure that they were going to come flooding back. Not realising he was mirroring his oldest brother's thoughts, Virgil knew that he needed his dad.

Skidding around the corner, Virgil felt his foot catch around something and, before he had time to correct his balance, he had hit the floor. Shakily climbing up again, the aspiring artist swallowed hard, glancing around him. He could see a group of teenagers that looked – from this distance – to be around Scott's age lurking on the next corner, and Virgil couldn't stop a feeling of dread settling on him as he realised he would have to walk through them in order to get the bus to the hospital. Taking a few steps forward, he found he was squeezing his eyes shut as he walked. Many side roads led off from the main one, and Virgil was finding that he was holding his breath as he passed them, feeling as if someone was going to spring out from nowhere with each step he took.

After he had passed three, Virgil began to feel more confident. Nothing was going to happen, he could manage this. After all, he simply had to get to his father. But as he made to move past the fourth road, Virgil glanced down - and felt his heart catch in his throat. He hadn't realised how late it had got and the sun was making its descent over the horizon, sending shadows down the edge of the buildings. His mind playing tricks on him, all Virgil was seeing were the shadowy fingers reaching out to him. His breathing quickening, he took a step backwards, knowing that he had been fooling himself thinking that he could handle being out on his own, especially considering he wasn't too sure the route he should be taking. Jeff hadn't liked him being out on his own for too long at the best of times, let alone after what had happened. Feeling the tears spring into his eyes, he stumbled back again.

"Virgil!"

Trying to draw quick, desperate breaths, Virgil took another step backwards, even as he turned on the spot. Immediately, his eyes were torn away from the shadows and onto his biggest brother. Before he knew what he was doing, he had thrown himself at Scott, latching on around his waist as hard as he could.

"Scott!"

"I gotcha, kiddo," Scott murmured softly, knowing instantly what had his brother so panicked. Wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, Scott hugged him fiercely.

"Everything is alright, Virg, you're safe." Gently untangling Virgil's arms, Scott kept his own firmly around his brother's shoulders, gently beginning to lead him back to the house. As Virgil grew calmer with each step, Scott found that he was unable to stop the smile spreading over his face. For weeks, he had been afraid that if he went anywhere with his middle brother, Virgil would be snatched from him. Now, however, as he led the trembling boy back to the house, he realised that all his fears had been for nothing. The only thing that had been drawing Virgil away was Scott's own irrational fear.

Just before they reached the front door, Virgil suddenly drew back from Scott, loitering on the path.

"Is Grandma angry?" he said quietly, a pleading note infiltrating his voice. Grinning, Scott made a show of looking towards the house in contemplation before glancing back at his brother.

"I'll cover for you," he whispered conspiratorially, winking at the smile that made its way onto Virgil's face. More than once he had covered for his brother against their grandmother, normally when Virgil managed to get paint on something he shouldn't have been touching. It was more than that on this occasion though. It was a sign that, despite everything, things were returning to normal, something they were both more than aware of.

"Come on, short stuff; let's get this over and done with." Pushing the door open, Scott stood back to let Virgil in first, ruffling his hair at the good-natured grumbling that had emerged at the insult. Frowning at the noise coming from the lounge, Scott traded quizzical glances with his younger brother before pushing the door open, smiling at the sight that greeted him.

John had his arms wrapped around Gordon's waist, using the ends of his fingers to seek out ticklish ribs. One glance at Gordon's red eyes, and Scott knew instantly that John was just trying to create a distraction, but judging by the high-pitched giggles erupting from the seven-year-old, it was working. Once more looping his arm around Virgil, Scott pulled the boy in close, letting the artist lean against him even as he sighed deeply. One thing was certain. They may have wanted their father there, but in contrast to the boys' earlier fears, they didn't need him in the same way as they had once believed. They had coped without him before, and Scott knew that he was ready. He was once more ready to take charge.


	13. Chapter 13

**Another huge thank you for those lovely reviews!**

Picking absently at his food, Scott ignored the piercing gaze of his grandmother. He knew that he should eat something; she was not going to let him get away with skipping breakfast, that was for sure. However, Scott simply wasn't hungry. They still had received nothing more from the hospital, although looking around at his brothers now, Scott was more than glad they had kept the fact that Jeff wasn't even conscious from them. The elder three were mirroring Scott's attitude towards breakfast, although Virgil was stabbing at his toast as if the bread had personally done something to offend him. Alan too was quiet, although his biggest brother knew it was the atmosphere that had fallen over the house the evening before which had the toddler withdrawn. He certainly hadn't understood when Scott had tried to explain why their father wasn't coming home.

Startled out of his thoughts by the phone suddenly ringing, Scott looked up sharply, catching his grandmother's eye. Ever so slightly, she shook her head, clearly telling him that he could not be the one who answered it. Before Scott could protest, she had bustled out of the room, answering it in the hall rather than picking up the one that had been right next to her. Sighing deeply, Scott made to look back down at his plate again, only to have a voice stop him.

"Scotty?"

"You okay, Virg?"

"What's going on?"

Looking up again, Scott didn't miss the look being passed between John and Virgil. Unable to stop a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips, Scott thought he should have known. One moment those two wouldn't talk to each other, the next they were up to something. Scott knew by that one look that the pair of them knew that the older members of their family were keeping something from them. And it didn't take much imagination to know what it was about, considering the absence of their father.

"Boys, I need you ready to go in the next ten minutes." Grandma's voice arrived in the kitchen before she did, immediately striding across the room and picking Alan up, ignoring the slight grizzling that came from the toddler: he had been having fun flicking pieces of bread off the table.

"Grandma?"

"Not now, John. Go and get your bag!" The sharp tone in Grandma's voice sent John, Virgil and Gordon all scurrying for the stairs without another word of protest. They knew what that tone meant, and it was not one that they had any desire to cross. Staying where he was, Scott let the sound of their footsteps die away before he spoke.

"What did they say?"

Grandma looked for a moment as if she wasn't going to tell the teenager, but one look at his face caused her to back down. She knew how tough this was on the boys anyway, but on their oldest brother in particular. Neither he nor his father quite realised how much Scott had come to rely on Jeff being there, how it was only his father's voice that could soothe him back to sleep after a bad dream. Without him there, Grandma could see by Scott's eyes that he was lost, yet once again trying to put on a brave front for his brothers. Knowing that her news would once again put a bit of sparkle back in her eldest grandson's eyes, Grandma didn't hesitate to break her news.

"He's woken up, sweetheart. He is going to be just fine."

Sagging in his seat, Scott leant back with a deep sigh, shutting his eyes momentarily. His father was going to be okay! Despite what he had been telling John and Virgil all night, Scott hadn't been sure if he truly had believed his own words.

"Scotty?"

Opening his eyes again, Scott found his grandmother had moved, now standing directly over him. One arm was being used to support Alan, but the other was resting lightly on Scott's forearm.

"I'm going to drop your brothers off at school and then go over there. Are you going to be okay, dear? Or do you want me to phone Mrs Higgins to come over?"

Shuddering slightly at the mention of Grandma's friend, Scott quickly shook his head.

"Can't I come too?"

"I'm sorry, Scott, they won't let children in."

"I'm not a child," Scott began hotly, before catching sight of his grandmother's expression and sinking back in his chair again, knowing that raising his voice was going to get him nowhere.

"I know that, dear, but that is hospital policy. We also need some groceries. Are you sure you will be able to manage whilst I'm not here?"

"I've done it before," Scott muttered, not realising the slightly bitter tone which infiltrated his voice. He had never once begrudged his father for his behaviour in the time after their mother's death, certainly not the way John had, but he couldn't help but feel hurt that he wouldn't be allowed to see the man just because of his age. After everything - not just the kidnapping, but the year before that as well - he was still seen as a child by rest of the world! His grandmother opened her mouth to say something to the subdued boy, but before she could do so, a yell came bouncing down the stairs.

"Gordon! Give it back!"

By the time she had glanced back down at Scott he had a smile on his face. Standing up, he took his youngest brother from her, already beginning to carry Alan upstairs to make sure he was ready when it was time to go. Frowning after him, Grandma decided that she really needed to have a nice long chat with her eldest grandchild, the way they used to do before all this happened. She had a feeling it was time that Scott was given some attention just for him, rather than being distracted by one of his brothers. As a slightly muffled thud sounded from up the stairs, immediately followed by running footsteps, she sighed. If they were going to get anywhere today, she knew she needed to sort out Virgil and Gordon first; the former especially was developing a temper that she had not seen in his older brothers.

TBTB

Shutting the door quietly behind him, Scott glanced almost furtively up and down the street before setting off. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, that if his grandmother got back before him and found he wasn't there... Shuddering slightly, Scott knew precisely what that could do to the old lady. But no matter how much he had spent the morning pleading with her, she had stuck by hospital policy and refused to allow him to come as well. Knowing that she was done at the hospital and was now going over to the nearest market to pick up the groceries, Scott knew he had a good couple of hours before she got back. Long enough, he decided, for him to take the quick bus ride across town, sneak into the hospital and see his father. Policy or not, Scott was not staying away.

Thankfully, it was an easy and quick trip across town, and by managing to keep his head down, Scott avoided any unwanted questions about why he wasn't at school. Unlike Virgil the previous day, he had no qualms about being out on his own. He knew his father had been concerned that he would not be able to face the streets again, but even within a couple of weeks of being released from the hospital himself, Scott knew that Jeff's fears were for nothing. If anything, he preferred it, the open space gave him a sense of freedom that even their own home seemed to sometimes lack, especially if his brothers were being rowdy. It gave him the escape he needed, the space he was craving. Walking as quickly as he could across the parking lot, Scott felt he jumped nearly a foot in the air when he heard his name being called.

Glancing around him almost feverishly, Scott felt his frown deepen as the only person he could see was a figure clad in green, jogging across the space between them. Automatically taking a slightly hesitant step backwards, Scott found that he was glancing over his shoulder again, confirming that there was no one else around. Luckily, before the man reached him, he slowed down to a walk, watching the youth guardedly.

"Scott? That is you, isn't it?"

"Who are you?" Scott rasped out, suddenly finding that his voice was betraying how he was feeling. On the best of days, he was completely fine, but being approached when he was on his own with no one else around – not to mention the reason why he was even at the hospital in the first place – Scott couldn't deny that he was nervous.

"Easy, kiddo. The name's Tim. I've been the one to bring you in twice over the last month."

Despite the lightness behind Tim's words, Scott could see how concerned Tim's eyes were, watching him closely, as if expecting some sort of extreme reaction to emerge. Coming to a complete stop, Tim watched the teenager critically. Whilst this may have been the best he ever had seen the boy, there was no way Scott was looking relaxed.

"That was you?" Scott whispered, having heard from Virgil about the "cool guy" who had been responsible for coming to his rescue and practically saving his life a month ago.

"Yeah, Scott that was me." Deciding the youth clearly needed a more light-hearted approach, Tim hooked his thumbs into the belt loops on his uniform, making his posture as relaxed as he could possibly make it. "Have to say, kiddo, you are looking better."

"What?" Scott said bluntly, not meaning to sound rude, but wondering how he could possibly be looking better considering he was coming to make sure his father was alright after being in a car accident. People didn't look their best in a situation like that anyway, let alone with everything else that was going on.

"Well, you're conscious this time. That's a step in the right direction for me." Keeping his voice light and friendly, Tim smiled when Scott suddenly blushed. He knew what was needed to get through to teenagers, he had to deal with them often enough. And if Scott was once more reacting the way he should have been for someone his age, it showed that he clearly was on the mend.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Dad."

"Is he not eating again?" Tim asked with a smile, but Scott could see in his eyes that it was only an act.

"He had a crash." Before Tim could say anything else, the radio clipped onto his belt suddenly sparked into life. Immediately snatching it up, Tim shot Scott an apologetic look.

"Sorry, kid, gotta go. Give him my best." Even by the time he had finished speaking, Tim was half way across the parking lot again, causing Scott to smile softly. Before the paramedic made it any further, however, he suddenly turned on his heel, sprinting back towards Scott.

"He is going to be okay, isn't he?" Tim asked, worry lining his voice, almost as if he had suddenly realised what Scott had just told him. Attempting to smile, Scott couldn't hide the way his eyes darted towards the hospital doors. His grandmother had told him that Jeff was going to be fine, but Scott had yet to see it for his own eyes.

"He's going to be fine."

"Tell him to take it easy, won't you?" Suddenly reaching out a hand, Tim gripped Scott's shoulder in a comforting manner. "You too, kiddo. Look, I have to go, but tell him I'll call in later." Moving away again, Tim once more made it halfway across the lot before turning. "It was nice formally meeting you!"

"You too," he muttered under his breath, glancing around for a way he could enter the hospital without drawing any more attention to himself. Seeing a couple walk arm-in-arm through the doors, he quickly sprinted after them, skidding to a halt before falling into step with them, trying to look for all of the world like he was with them. As they veered off to one direction, Scott knew his time had come.

Taking a deep breath, Scott slipped out from behind the couple before they noticed him, and walked over to the desk, holding his head high in an attempt to look older.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked lightly, glancing at Scott as the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Immediately, Scott knew he was being humoured.

"I'm here to see my father," he announced confidently, staring at her defiantly, as if challenging her to question it. Unfortunately, she did.

"Shouldn't you be at school, kid? Sorry, we don't let anyone under 18 in."

"I am 18."

"Can I see some ID then?"

"I just want to see my dad!"

"Who is-?"

"Jeff Tracy." Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Scott struggled to keep his temper as she merely raised her eyebrows at him, before sighing deeply.

"'Course he is. Now get out of here, kid, before I call security and have you escorted out."

"But..."

"Scott?"

Spinning sharply on the spot, Scott frowned at the woman standing across the room. As soon as he turned, however, she hurried across. As she drew closer, Scott narrowed his eyes, knowing there was something familiar about her, but unable to place it. Just as she reached him, however, he knew how he knew her.

"Nicole!" It had been years since Jeff had last taken him into the office, but he could still remember his father's secretary sneaking him chocolate all day, keeping him amused whilst Jeff took care of business.

"What are you doing here, Scott? Where's your grandmother?"

"Grocery shopping," Scott muttered, staring at the floor as the back of his neck burnt. Her eyebrows raised, Nicole stared at the teenager in front of her, before suddenly smiling. Trying to look more serious as she turned towards the receptionist, she was hard-pushed not to simply burst out laughing. Considering she had spent all morning on the phone with her boss, trying to keep him in bed until the doctors said he could go, it came as no surprise to find Scott was just as stubborn as his father. Flashing the security pass that Jeff's mother had sent through to her, Nicole glared coolly at the receptionist.

"Are you going to try and stop me as well? Or does your computer recognise that I am an approved visitor for Jeff Tracy? Come on, Scott."

"But, he's too young..."

"Then I'll let you be the one to tell Mr Tracy how you prevented his son from seeing him." Knowing that Jeff hated using his name to get favourable treatment, Nicole felt a moment of guilt as she did exactly that, but the look on Scott's face as the receptionist backed down was more than worth it. Making sure she stayed in between Scott and the curious expressions as people tried to look to see what was happening, Nicole led the way. She had popped in the night before when Mrs Tracy had delivered the news, knowing the grandmother couldn't leave the boys. She had to admit, she was looking forward to seeing Jeff conscious again. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him without having consumed at least four coffees, so witnessing him that still had just been unnerving. Sparing the quiet teenager a glance out of the corner of her eye, Nicole knew she had only barely scraped the surface compared to what Jeff must have gone through with the boys.

"How you holding up, Scott?" she asked quietly, feeling the need to break the silence, but at a loss as to what to say to him. The last time she had seen Scott, his mother had still been alive and he had barely come up to her shoulder. Now he towered over her, yet seemed withdrawn, no doubt a shadow of his former self considering what he had been through in the meantime. Nicole knew he was lucky to be alive; she had been the first to see the original broadcast, after all. Something that still woke her up in the middle of the night even now, especially when it had been a tough day.

Her eyes quickly scanning over the room numbers as they walked down the corridor, she suddenly came to a stop, smiling apologetically as Scott almost crashed into her.

"This is it." Striding past him, she paused, one hand already on the door, as she realised that Scott had yet to move.

In fact, the opposite had happened. Shrinking back against the opposite wall, Scott was suddenly no longer sure if this was such a good idea. Did he really want to see his father in the vulnerable state that he didn't think was possible for the man?

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, it's alright, Scott." Moving over to him, Nicole squeezed his shoulder gently, noting with a wry smile how she almost had to crane her neck back in order to look him in the eye.

"He's just fine, flyboy." Unable to stop himself, a grin automatically leapt onto Scott's face. He hadn't heard that nickname since...since the last time he had seen Nicole. His fascination with jumping off the small couches that littered his father's office had caused the exasperated secretary to come up with her very own nickname for the eldest Tracy child.

"What if he doesn't want to see me?" Scott whispered, suddenly concerned that his father might be angry with his son for giving his grandmother the slip and coming to the hospital despite being told no.

"Are we seriously talking about the same man?" Nicole asked with a laugh, knocking lightly on the door before pushing it open before anyone had the chance to respond. Making sure she didn't react, Nicole pretended that it didn't hurt her to see Jeff so hurt.

"Morning, sir," she called somewhat cheerfully, but even from where he was standing in the corridor, Scott could hear how her voice had dropped in volume. He knew himself that regaining consciousness was a painful experience. Taking a hesitant step forward, he stopped again.

"Get me out of here, Nicole," the grumbled response sounded, making Scott grin. And Jeff had moaned that the boys were bad patients!

"Now, now, Mr Tracy. You know I would if I could, only your mother would kill me, and you would be without a secretary, so no can do, I'm afraid." Realising that she was still the only one to have entered the room, Nicole frowned, sticking her head back out of the door.

"Oi, flyboy, you coming or are you just going to stand there like a... like a something that just stands there?"

"Flyboy?" Jeff mused quietly, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. Along with a killer of a headache, he had one arm strapped across his chest, the foot on the same side propped up with several pillows. However, his mind was alert enough to know that was the nickname Nicole had come up with for his eldest son. But surely Scott wasn't..?

"Hey, Dad."

Glancing up quickly, Jeff had no time to hide his astonishment as Scott stepped softly through the door, one hand playing with the bottom of his top in a clear sign that the teenager was uncertain of what he was doing.

"Scott? Wha-? How did you get here? Is your grandmother back yet?"

Opening his mouth to respond, Scott paused, realising that his father was not going to be impressed with his son when he had found out Scott had sneaked away from the house. Luckily, Nicole was a quick thinker.

"I picked him up on my way, figured it would do you both good. Not to mention it might stop you -" here, she turned pointedly to Jeff, fixing him with a look that he knew too well. It was unnervingly like his mother's, no wonder the two women got on so well. "From spending the whole time moaning!"

"As if I would," Jeff protested, knowing immediately that she was right. Sparing him a fond glance, Nicole shook her head.

"I'll be back in a moment; I just need to call the office." Giving Scott a meaningful look, the teenager knew immediately it was not the office that would be on the receiving end of her call. Smiling gratefully as Nicole moved past him and headed out of the door, Scott just felt relieved that he wasn't the one trying to explain to his grandmother why he was on the opposite side of town to where he was supposed to be.

"Son?"

Turning quickly back to his father, Scott seemed to notice for the first time the agitation his hands were showing. Letting go of the bottom of his shirt, he clasped them behind his back, hoping that Jeff wasn't picking up on the signs that his son was up to something. Somehow, despite Nicole's quick thinking, Scott was not sure whether he had really gotten away with it. Jeff always seemed to know these days what his sons were up to, especially when it was something they shouldn't have been doing.

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Scott asked, wincing as his voice came out as nothing more than a croak. Was he really finding it that hard once again being back in a hospital, or was it because it the roles had been reversed this time, with Jeff sitting _in_ the bed rather than on the edge? Scott honestly did not know.

"I'm fine, kiddo. How are you? Did you sleep last night?" Trying to push himself into a more upright position, Jeff found he was gritting his teeth as his head throbbed in protest. The doctors had already been in several times during the morning, saying that now he had regained consciousness, he had to stay awake so they could make sure there were no further complications and that it really was only a concussion that he was suffering from. Considering what she had told him about the state of his car when he had first spoken to Nicole, he knew he was lucky. And ironically, the other driver had walked away. Well, for a few hours, at least, until one of the witnesses had come forward with the registration plates and the police had caught up with him. Apparently he had still been drunk when they had reached him, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he had been over the limit at the time of the accident.

"Fine."

"Tell me the truth, Scott," Jeff immediately responded, fixing his son with a stern look. Just because he wasn't at home didn't mean that he was going to allow Scott to withdraw into himself again. Eventually, Scott looked up, and on catching sight of his father's gaze, swallowed hard.

"The Doctor's murder."

"Oh, Scotty. C'mere, kiddo." As Jeff beckoned him over, Scott smiled softly, moving forward and perching on the edge of the bed. Looping his good arm around his son's shoulders, Jeff gave them a gentle squeeze. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Honest."

"Good boy."

"Knock knock." Father and son looked up as Nicole re-entered the room, smiling at the sight in front of her. She knew that it would do Jeff as much good as his son for them to be back together again: she was one of the few who got to witness the now paranoid father as Jeff watched the clock all day at the office, counting down the hours from the moment he arrived to the moment he could leave again. Narrowing her eyes as Jeff turned towards her, an unspoken message flying between the two of them, Nicole suddenly reached into her pocket.

"Hey, flyboy, don't fancy getting me a coffee, do you? And grab yourself a soda or something whilst you are there. And no, you can't have a coffee as well, don't want you ending up like your old man."

As Scott grinned, Jeff gave him a playful swat as he jumped down from the bed, smiling gratefully as his secretary. Scott took the offered change and left the room, pausing in the doorway as if to reassure himself that nothing was going to happen to his father whilst he wasn't there.

As soon as Scott left the room, Nicole shut the door behind him, turning to fix her boss with a piercing stare.

"You didn't really bring him, did you?" Jeff asked immediately, sinking further back into the pillows with a groan now that his son was no longer around to see him hurting. He desperately wanted to get out of there. Not because he disliked hospitals as such - he had certainly spent enough time in them recently - but because he knew he needed to be at home. The boys relied on him to keep things running smoothly now, and despite the obvious confidence Scott had with running things – goodness knows he had had enough practice – Jeff knew that it was risking all the progress that Scott had made. Samson had spoken to him – rather severely – once the boys were back on their feet, telling Jeff precisely how quiet Scott had become even before the kidnapping, and Jeff knew he would never let his son go through that again, not if he could help it.

"Mr Tracy..."

"Nicole, tell me. You didn't bring him here, did you?"

"Nope. I found him out the front with the obnoxious receptionist from hell. Mr Tracy, don't you dare say anything to him, or I'm hiding the coffee."

"Nicole..."

"No, sir. That boy took a risk coming along by himself, all because he wanted to see his father. I've already spoken to your mother: she knows, and agrees that it is best to let the matter drop this time. It is clear that Scott needs you."

"You phoned my mother?" Jeff asked, eyebrows rising in disbelief. _He _wouldn't have had the nerve to tell his mother what Scott had done - she still had the power to make him feel as young as Gordon. Thinking about the boys, Jeff winced again.

"She said the boys took it pretty well. Do you think they are hiding things again?"

"No, sir, I don't," Nicole responded, finally coming to perch on the edge of one of the chairs. Despite not having seen the boys for years - she had only ever met Alan once briefly in passing - she had heard enough about them from their father to know how they would be reacting. She felt as if she did know them, only because Jeff never stopped talking about them these days. Not to mention the amount of times she had spoken to one of the schools on the phone. No, despite not having seen the children for a while, Nicole certainly knew the Tracy boys.

"They've seen Scott deal with it, and so they are dealing with it."

"They always have looked up to him," Jeff murmured, his eyes slipping shut as a fond smile played across his mouth.

"Mr Tracy, you know you have to stay awake!"

With his head pounding, Jeff found that he didn't have the energy to respond verbally to his secretary's instructions. Instead, he just lifted his good hand and gestured something across the room, causing Nicole to laugh. With his eyes shut, he didn't see the door reopen though.

"Dad!" Scott yelped, unable to believe what he had just seen his father do. Opening his eyes again, Jeff tried not to groan as he looked sheepishly at his son, smiling at the expression of utmost disbelief on Scott's face. One glance at Nicole, and Jeff knew she wasn't going to help him out; she was struggling not to burst out laughing again.

"Don't tell your grandmother." To Jeff's delight, Scott merely laughed, crossing the room to hand Nicole the cup he had in his hand, before snapping open his own drink. A few weeks ago, that would not have been the reaction. Catching Nicole's eye, Jeff smiled in response to her pointed look. She was right about the boys, right about not reminding Scott how he had broken nearly every rule both Jeff and his mother had ever set the boys. To be honest, Jeff couldn't help but note with a wry smile as he forced himself into a more upright position, knowing Scott was following his every move, there wasn't a lot Nicole was wrong about.

After finishing his drink, Scott found himself automatically slipping onto the bed next to his father. It would have been a lot easier if he was at least as small as Virgil, but even so, the sixteen-year-old somehow managed to curl himself up to his father, hearing the steady breathing of the man as he and Nicole began discussing business. Scott let his mind wander, not feeling bored in the slightest, yet also paying no attention to the adults. It was enough just to be close to his father again. He hadn't wanted to admit it to his grandmother, not even to Jeff himself, but Scott had found himself almost panicking in the night when he had woken up and Jeff hadn't been there. There could be no denying that he had made huge amounts of progress over the last few weeks, something that anyone who laid eyes on the teenager could vouch for. But now, curled up to his dad, Scott knew he still had a way to go. Unlike before, however, he knew that he could handle it, that he was getting there. With a slight smile, he remembered something Jeff had said to him the last time the pair of them were in the hospital. Whilst he was by no means back to his old self just yet, Scott knew that Blag hadn't won. He had overcome the madman once and for all, now it was just a matter of letting his subconscious realise that.

"Scott?"

"Hmm?" Suddenly realising that the room had fallen silent, Scott looked up to find his father gazing down at him, a slight smile playing across his mouth.

"We need to go, flyboy," Nicole cut in, climbing to her feet and making a show of stretching out her back. "I'm getting too old for those chairs."

"You're younger than Dad," Scott said, climbing down from the bed as he spoke, knowing it was better to not argue. He didn't want to leave his father, but considering he wasn't supposed to be here in the first place, he knew he shouldn't push his luck.

"So?"

"He manages. Are you coming home soon, Dad?" Turning his attention back to his father, Scott only just missed the concerned look that went shooting between his father and his secretary at the flat tone in his voice. Much as he didn't want to admit it, Scott didn't want to go.

"Hopefully, son. You'll be good for your grandmother, won't you? Help her take care of your brothers?"

"Sure," Scott responded, his voice still lacking emotion. "See ya later, Dad." And so saying, he turned and walked out of the door.

"What was that?" Nicole asked softly, her voice reflecting her disbelief. She could see how much the teenager had relaxed when in the presence of his father, and was more confused than ever about how Scott could suddenly be so dismissive.

"It's him trying not to show he doesn't want to go," Jeff responded, looking wistfully towards the door. "How on earth he can think it gets past me, I have no idea."

As if reading her boss's thoughts, Nicole fixed him with a stern look.

"Stay right there," she warned, before taking off after the confused boy. She found him not far down the corridor, leaning against the wall and staring with unseeing eyes at the ceiling, clearly lost in thought.

"Come on, Scott, I'm taking you home."

The pair of them had just reached outside when Nicole's phone suddenly rang. Snapping it open, she glanced quizzically at the caller ID, before glancing at Scott and then back to the phone again. Raising it to her ear, she couldn't keep the frown from her face.

"Mrs Tracy?" Looking quickly over at her, Scott found his face was mirroring Nicole's as he heard one side of the conversation.

"What?" Nicole suddenly yelped, bringing one hand up to her head as she glanced across towards the hospital doors, almost as if she was expecting Jeff to suddenly materialise through one of them.

"No, he's with me now. I can take him home if you... yes, no, don't worry, I understand. I'll get over there right now. Don't worry, Scott is staying with me." Hanging up, Nicole let out an explosive breath as she turned towards the perplexed teenager.

"There has been a fire at Gordon's school." Before she could continue, however, Scott swore in a way that Nicole knew he could have only picked up from his father: it was unnerving how much like Jeff the boy could sound. Setting off across the car park, Scott didn't wait to hear anymore. Raising her eyebrows in disbelief, Nicole gave him a few moments before whistling shrilly.

"Oi, flyboy! I've got the car!"

Skidding to a stop, Scott turned to face her, an almost pleading expression on his face. Swallowing hard, Nicole didn't need that particular reminder of how much father and son were alike. She had seen that look of desperation appear on Jeff's face before, something that had not had pleasant consequences for the family. Motioning the way with a jerk of her head, Nicole led him over.

"What did Grandma say?" Scott asked frantically as he strapped himself in, wishing Nicole would hurry up. He needed to get to the school _now_, he needed to know that his little brother was alright. After everything that had happened, all the progress that the boys had managed to make despite Jeff's accident, Scott knew he would never allow any harm to come to any of them, not if he could help it.

"Everyone is fine, Scott, it is in one of the out-buildings, the furthest point away from the school. Hey, flyboy, listen to me. Gordon is just fine. Your grandmother wants you to stay with me, she doesn't want you on your own at home. So, fancy a road trip to get your brother?"

Nodding mutely, Scott found himself staring out of the window as Nicole finally started the car. Glancing over at him as she pulled out of the car park, she couldn't help but sigh deeply. She knew there was a reason why Mrs Tracy didn't want her eldest grandchild on his own. With one of his brothers in a potential situation, there was no way Scott was going to take this calmly, no matter what anyone said. No, the teenager was not going to calm down until he had seen his brother for himself.


	14. Chapter 14

**Another huge thank you, you have no idea how happy those reviews make me!**

**I can't quite believe this, but only one more chapter to come after this one! :( Can't believe it is coming to an end!**

"Scott?" Glancing over at the passenger staring out of her car window, Nicole bit her lip. She had been meaning to press Jeff about the issue for months, but every time she had opened her mouth, something had stopped her, a fear of reawakening painful memories for her boss preventing her from enquiring.

"Yeah?" Scott responded, his voice sounding far away. Quickly checking that she was heading the right way to reach the school of her boss's fourth born, Nicole decided she would press it. Knowing what Scott was like, the thought probably hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Are you driving yet?"

To her surprise, he gave a short, bitter laugh, turning to give her a slightly unnerving look for someone his age before turning back to the window.

"Do you think Dad even thought about it when I was old enough? Considering everything that had just happened?"

"Do you want to?" Nicole pushed, having her suspicions confirmed as to why Scott was still getting the bus everywhere. The little boy she remembered had dreamed of having his own car as much as he had dreamed of his own plane, often describing every aspect of it to the secretary, seeming not to notice that she had never been properly listening.

"I'm probably not going to be able to now, am I?" Scott said shortly, surprising Nicole with how bitter he sounded. Whilst Scott hadn't begrudged his father his absence in the year after his mother's death, he didn't like to be reminded of the things that his classmates had that he did not because of it. Most things didn't bother the teenager, but hearing about their escapades learning to drive, Scott found that was the one thing that he really felt like he was missing out on. Nicole was right, he had always dreamed of his own car, but now he knew that his duty to his brothers came first. More than that, he _wanted_ them to come first, other dreams would just have to be put aside for now. He would get his chance. But for now, making sure that his brothers were managing came way before Scott having the freedom to drive about on his own.

Before she could respond, however, Nicole found herself pulling into an overcrowded parking lot, frantic mothers flapping about and getting in the way whilst the children filed out of the buildings, the teachers trying to keep control of the excited horde. Smoke was filling the air, the parents watching with horrified eyes as the fire crew battled to bring the blaze under control. It was only one of the out-buildings that had gone up, providing no immediate danger to any of the pupils as they followed normal evacuation procedure. No doubt because they had no idea of the cause, and to make sure everything ran smoothly, police littered the area, constructing barriers to stop the parents putting themselves in harm's way to get to their child.

Glancing across the playground as they pulled up, Scott could make out the sight of Gordon's teacher across the playground, a clipboard in her hands as she ticked off various students. Thankful that he was able to recognise her due to the amount of times he had picked up his brother in the past and so knew where to head towards, Scott was out of the car almost before Nicole had turned off the ignition. He still wasn't sure how the redhead would react to being in a situation like this, surrounded by frantic adults, the majority of whom he didn't know. Cursing, Nicole unstrapped herself as quickly as she could, jumping out of the car and staring frantically around for Scott. The teenager, however, was already lost in the crowds of people milling around the building, staring in wonder at the smoke spiralling out from the top of the furthest building.

"Damn him," Nicole muttered, staring around her frantically. She didn't particularly want to have to tell Jeff that she had lost his son. After a few moments of wide-eyed staring, Nicole eventually caught sight of the back of Scott's head. It came as no surprise to her that he had somehow managed to slip past the barriers keeping the parents back, and was running full-speed towards what she could only assume to be Gordon's class. Moving forward herself, she had just reached the barrier when a hand shot out of nowhere, stopping her from going any further.

"I'm sorry, Miss, you can't go through there."

"But I've just lost my boss's son through there!" Nicole cried, desperately trying to keep Scott in her sights. She would never forgive herself if something else happened to the boy after everything he had been through. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she took a deep breath.

"Flyboy! Get back here right now!" Hoping that using his nickname would make Scott aware that he was the one being addressed, Nicole swore as Scott's head disappeared from her sight. Ignoring the police officer trying to hold her back, she made to duck under the barrier once again, determined to go and get the troublesome teenager.

"Miss, you can't go through there, I've told you. Let me have his name and I will get someone to look for you."

For a moment, Nicole hesitated. She didn't particularly want everyone in the area to know that the Tracys were once more involved in something.

"Look, just let me go and get him. He knows me; he only went in after his brother."

"I'm not telling you again. No! I can send someone in."

"I won't be a minute..."

"Would you please stop? You can't go in there, end of story."

"Just try and stop me," Nicole challenged, striding forward determinedly. She would be damned if anything happened to Scott - or Gordon for that matter. Not on her watch, anyway. With a sigh, the officer watched her take a step forward before moving after her. Grabbing hold of her arm, he forcibly marched her away, despite her – very loud – protests. Knowing that she was fighting a losing battle against the man, Nicole gave in.

"Fine, fine, fine. If you can get Flyboy out of there, I'll stay here."

"Good. Now give me his real name - I'm guessing it's not Flyboy." With a touch of a smile playing across his mouth, the man watched the secretary sigh.

"Scott Tracy."

"Damn those Tracys!" Matt swore, immediately letting go of Nicole and springing forward himself. Following behind him now that he seemed distracted, Nicole couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Always getting into trouble, those boys. It always has to be one of them in the middle of anything going wrong, especially Scott." Unlike when he had been able to help John, this time, Matt was officially on duty, the cops having been called in more to help control the parents than anything else.

"You know them?" Nicole asked, panting slightly as she struggled to keep up with his frantic stride. Matt merely spared her an amused glance as he realised that she had no intention of staying where she was, holding the barrier up for her to duck under.

"Better than I would like," Matt muttered, somewhat sullenly as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom that had settled over the playground due to the smoke still pouring out of the building. The fire crew had assured them that the immediate danger had passed, but it was going to take a while before everything settled back down again.

"Wait..." Nicole gasped, reaching out a hand to both stop him from going so fast and because she wanted some answers. "Are you...?"

"The one that helped save Scott, yeah. Now it seems I spend my entire time cleaning up the mess the Tracy's have gotten involved in. You said your boss's son? You work for Jeff?"

Before Nicole had time to answer, however, someone gave a warning shout. Glancing up, Matt quickly threw himself to the side, bringing Nicole down with him. The children were all safely out of harm's way over on the other side of the vast playground, slipping through the barrier one by one as their name was checked off and a adult stepped forward to claim them. On the outskirts, however, one of the men responsible for making sure the building was safe hadn't seen the two adults through the smoke before sending one of the weaker parts of the building crashing down.

"Sorry, Miss," Matt muttered apologetically, climbing to his feet and offering his hand to help Nicole up.

"Nicole."

Smiling as she took his hand, Matt gently drew her to her feet.

"Matt," he responded with a grin, noting that she was making no attempt to slip her hand from his. Whoever she was, she clearly cared as much for the Tracy boys as he now did. Shooting her a grin, Matt couldn't deny that he was more than surprised when she suddenly blushed. She certainly looked very pretty when she blushed...

Clearing his throat self-consciously, Matt glanced around him.

"Come on, let's go get those boys." Leading the way, Matt kept hold of Nicole's hand as he led her across the playground, purely so that he could help navigate her around the debris. At least, that was what he was telling himself. He was only doing his duty, nothing more.

TBTBTB

Running across the playground as fast as he could, Scott barely heard the numerous attempts to stop him. He had room for only one thought: getting to Gordon. Nothing and no one was going to get in the way of that. Within only a few moments, completely oblivious to Nicole and Matt coming after him, Scott could finally make out clearly the classes waiting to be dismissed. And right in the middle of it all, was his little brother. Slowing down to a walk, Scott let out a sigh of relief. He knew he should have listened when Nicole had said that everyone was fine, but something in Scott couldn't let it go, not until he had seen Gordon for himself. Pulling up sharply, Scott suddenly caught sight of the expression on the normally carefree face. Gordon looked nothing short of furious.

"Jimmy Hanks, don't you dare make comments like that again!" a teacher yelled out of nowhere, making Scott frown. He was sure he knew that name. He was sure that Gordon had mentioned it when his big brother had forced him to explain about the fights. Admittedly, it had taken Scott several weeks before he had even noticed Gordon had been getting into scrapes, and since then, nothing had happened for quite a considerable time period, but it appeared things hadn't settled as much as Scott perhaps thought. As he watched Gordon's hands clench, Scott found himself almost frozen, willing his brother not to react. To his delight, Gordon took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes and clearly making himself calm down. Even from the distance he was at, Scott could hear the teacher's encouragement to the redhead, and the older brother couldn't stop the rush of respect towards the young woman. It was nice that she was at least appreciating that Gordon was trying to stop himself.

Walking forward again, Scott knew it was about time he reached the younger boy. Just as he got there, something in Gordon snapped, and, sending himself forward with a quick sprint, Scott reached his brother just as Gordon spun around, fist clenched and drawn back, the intention to hit more than obvious. Diving through the crowd of watching children, Scott put himself in-between Gordon and the child he assumed was Jimmy Hanks, catching Gordon's fist in his own. For a long moment, Gordon merely blinked in astonishment at the sudden arrival of his big brother.

"Scotty?"

"Hey, fish. You weren't going to react there after what you promised me, were you?" Loosening his grip on Gordon's hand, Scott crouched down in front of him, keeping one eye on the child behind.

"Wha-? What are you doing here, Scott?"

"Well, a little birdie told me that there was a fire, so I simply had to come and get my own firecracker, didn't I? This school isn't big enough for two fires." Smiling as Gordon's face split into a grin at the old reference to him once accidentally setting fire to their mother's birthday cake –Scott still hadn't figured out how he had managed it – the older brother gently pulled him into a hug.

"Relax, buddy. I'm here, I gotcha."

"I didn't think anyone would be able to come, considering..."

Their father's accident hanging unspoken in the air between them, Scott drew back, making sure he was looking Gordon directly in the eye.

"We will always come for you, Gordy. Always." Waiting until Gordon had nodded, Scott stood back up again. "Now, how about I sign you out of here, we head home and have some `us` time before the rest of the guys get back?"

As Gordon smiled happily, Scott crossed over to the teacher. Luckily, she had seen Scott picking his brother up enough times over the last year or so that she was more than happy to sign the redhead over to the teenager, especially when Scott gave a vague account of Nicole being there somewhere as well.

"How stupid, needing your big brother. No one needs a brother, they should all just vanish."

Spinning sharply on the spot, Scott groaned.

"Gordon! No!"

He was too late, however, as the redhead had already thrown himself at the bigger boy with a yell of fury. Not that Scott could blame him, however. These two had been clashing long before the kidnap, and Hanks clearly knew precisely how to wind Gordon up. And the fact that Gordon had been able to practically stop himself beforehand had merely given the other child more of a challenge. Wondering how a seven-year-old could be so vicious, Scott quickly strode forward.

Hooking his hands under Gordon's shoulders, he took no time at all at pulling his brother off Hanks. Holding him tight, despite the fact that Gordon was still struggling to be let loose and go for the other boy again, Scott simply waited. Sure enough, it only took Gordon a moment before he suddenly sagged against his older brother.

"Gordon?" Feeling Gordon swallow hard, Scott spun the boy around to face him. His heart clenching, Scott wanted nothing more than to just shut his eyes at the haunted look in Gordon's eye. Despite not having such an adverse reaction as his older siblings, it was clear that Gordon was hurting just as badly as the rest of them. Once more crouching down in front of him, Scott held loosely onto Gordon's hands, more as a preventative measure should the boy react again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Gords. I'm right here, and I'll always be here for you. I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

Gordon's mouth opened slightly, almost as if he wanted to say something, before shutting it again, swallowing hard and nodding. As his eyes met his brother's again, Scott wanted to shout out loud with joy. Those few words had changed something in the child. It was almost as if he was finally accepting that Scott was back to stay this time. His mind wandering, Scott suddenly realised that he hadn't said anything like that before to his little brother. To Virgil and John, yes. But the conversations he had with Gordon tended to be an attempt to cheer him up. Scott had been so desperate to get the smile back on the prankster's face, he had overlooked the fact that Gordon might have simply needed reassurance that everything was going to be alright rather than numerous attempts to take his mind off things. As Gordon's shoulders slowly relaxed, Scott could have kicked himself. If only he had reassured his redheaded sibling weeks ago that he was back to stay, Gordon might have reached this stage a good while beforehand. Standing up, he kept hold of Gordon's hand, seeking out the teacher's eye. Jerking his head towards the barrier, Scott smiled his thanks as she nodded her approval.

"Come on, fish. Let's find Nicole and go home."

TBTBTB

Virgil tiptoed down the darkened corridor silently, knowing that his grandmother would not be happy if she caught the eleven-year-old up after his bedtime. To be honest, Virgil was not sure if she would have noticed: the afternoon had been a strange one. He had got the bus home with John for the first time since his own breakdown, and was more than proud that he had been completely fine. He only wished that his father had been waiting at home so that he could announce it to the whole family. He couldn't deny that he and John seemed to have reached an understanding about what had taken place between the two of them and Virgil wouldn't bring it up if John didn't. The young artist knew it would not last, but considering everything else that had taken place, it didn't seem as important any more. The two of them had got home to find Gordon already there, curled up next to Scott with a movie on, a contented look on his face that had been missing for far too long. Not five minutes later, their grandmother had walked in, Alan in her arms.

Despite the sense of uneasy peace that had fallen over the household during the afternoon – all of the boys more than aware that there should be someone else present – Virgil had gone to bed at his normal time. A few hours later, something had awoken him, something that he knew he needed John's help with.

Silently pushing at the blond's door, Virgil squinted into the darkness.

"Johnny? You awake?" he practically hissed, making sure that he kept his voice down. Luckily, John was a fairly light sleeper, and, as a grunt met Virgil's query, the younger brother knew that the star-gazer now was awake, regardless of whatever he had been doing a minute ago.

"Johnny?"

"Wh-at?" John slurred, yawning loudly as he slowly sat up. One glance at his clock told him it had just gone eleven. So why on earth was there a pyjama-clad figure hovering in his doorway?

"Scott's having a nightmare, John. What do we do?"

His annoyance immediately vanishing, John swung his legs out of bed. He knew that his father now sat with Scott in the way he had done for John and Virgil. But this time, there was no Jeff around to chase the demons away. Knowing why Virgil had come to him, John offered the younger boy his hand, smiling gratefully when Virgil slipped his own into it. He never knew how the artist was going to react these days.

Tiptoeing down the hallway, both brothers stopped simultaneously as they heard the frightened cries coming from their big brother's room. Swallowing hard, John glanced down at Virgil, smiling reassuringly. He could see by the look in his eyes that Virgil was as unnerved as John was at hearing Scott this distressed. Normally, Jeff had already reached his son before it got to this point.

"Johnny? Virgy?" Jumping at the voice behind them, the boys spun sharply on the spot, turning to find Gordon hovering uncertainly behind them, his eyes wide and scared as he kept glancing towards Scott's door. Suddenly hit by an idea, John smiled.

"Virgil, see if Alan is awake. If he is, bring him through. Gordy, I need you to get all of our blankets, can you do that?" As Gordon nodded enthusiastically and scampered off, John made to step forward towards Scott's door when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Virgil asked quietly, his eyes shining with an excitement far too bright for that time of night. Knowing precisely what was going through his head, John grinned.

"Camp out."

As Virgil's face split into a grin, John gave him a nudge towards Gordon's and Alan's joint room. Something told him that because Gordon was up, Alan would also be awake. As Virgil finally wandered off, John took a deep breath, steadying his nerves as he pushed open Scott's door. Thankful that he had made the younger ones go before they could witness their brother's distress, John made himself step forward. He had been made to watch the first broadcast, seen his brother struck and threatened. He had failed Scott when he had been unable to trace the broadcast, causing his brother to go through days of hell. He was not going to fail him again.

"Scotty?" Calling gently, John forced himself across the room, perching on the edge of the bed and clasping one hand over Scott's scrunched up ones.

"Scott? Please, wake up. You're scaring me now. Scotty, please." John didn't hear Virgil re-enter the room, his arms straining with carrying a very awake Alan. Jumping as his artistic brother moved past him, John let his eyes flicker over to the younger two for long enough to see Virgil dump Alan on the bed, before turning his attention back to his scared brother.

"Scotty, wake!" Alan demanded, crawling up the bed and clutching onto Scott. Watching him in amazement, John suddenly realised that Scott's nightmare was not disturbing Alan in the same way it was him and Virgil. The toddler didn't properly understand what Scott was going through; he only knew that his big brother had to wake up. As Gordon stumbled back into the room, his arms full of bedding, John could only watch as Alan once more demanded that his brother woke up. Dumping the whole lot on the floor, Gordon silently crossed the room, clambering up onto the bed and onto John's lap. Looping an arm around the seven-year-old's middle, John hugged him tightly.

"Wake up, 'Cotty!" Alan demanded again, lightly hitting his brother on the chest with his small, scrunched up fists.

"Allie?"

Sucking in a breath sharply, John was unable to stop the grin slipping onto his face as Scott's eyes eventually opened. Sharing a glance with Virgil, the blond beckoned his brother closer, slipping his free arm around the boy next to him.

"Scotty 'wake," Alan announced happily, sitting back and staring at Virgil with big eyes. Unable to stop himself, Virgil let out a muffled snort of laughter. Alan had no idea what he had just done. All he knew was that Virgil had told him that they needed to wake their biggest brother up, so that was precisely what the toddler had done. Personally, Alan had no idea why they were looking so worried. Scott came and woke him up nearly every morning, so what was so different about having to wake him up for a change?

Sitting up shakily, Scott drew his arm across his eyes, trying to hide the evidence of the tears still lingering in his eyes. So far, he had only caught sight of his baby brother, who was now looking extremely pleased with himself. Glancing around his room however, he couldn't stop his eyebrows raising as he caught sight of his remaining siblings all crowded around his bed.

"What's going on?" he muttered hoarsely, feeling drained. Once again, the nightmare had been when he had heard about John being shot tonight, only normally his father woke him up before he got that far. One glance at the fading fear in John and Virgil's eyes, however, and he knew that it had unnerved the younger ones seeing him like that.

"We are having a camp out in your room, whether you like it or not," John declared, putting Gordon back on the floor. Catching Scott's eye, John knew that his older brother had seen straight through his act. Scott knew that his brothers were not going to leave him like this, and, feeling a rush of love stronger than he thought possible, he pulled Alan into him.

"Virg, help Gordon," he instructed, smiling gently as his brother immediately jumped to do his bidding.

Twenty minutes later, and all five brothers were once again fast asleep. And this time, there were no nightmares. For any of them.

TBTBTB

The next morning, and the boys' grandmother could be found leaning in a doorway, a contented smile on her face as she took in the sight before her. It had worried her when she had retired the night before and had found the majority of the boys' bedrooms empty, but when she had pushed open Scott's door, all her fears had been banished. All five of them were in there now, still fast asleep. Scott and Alan were on the bed, the toddler using his brother as a giant teddy bear by the looks of it, hugging Scott fiercely, even in his sleep. For his part, Scott had his arm hooked around his brother's shoulders, returning the embrace with equal intensity. His face was turned towards the door, and what really caught at his grandmother's heart was the look of peace on his face. Even asleep, Scott had not looked that relaxed for a long time. John, Virgil and Gordon were all sprawled across the floor, their positions being the reason why she had not braved trying to enter the room. John was nearest the door, lying almost straight. Gordon, however, was spread out as far as he could, arms and legs wide. It didn't escape her notice that one arm had escaped the blanket, however, and was instead resting lightly across John's chest. Virgil was curled up against the wall, but he too was subconsciously reaching out to his brothers, one hand reaching across the floor towards Gordon.

Knowing she had no choice, Grandma gently cleared her throat. John shifted slightly, but Scott immediately woke up. Glancing around him in confusion, he automatically drew Alan closer to him as his eyes roamed across his sleeping brothers, a fond smile making its way onto his face.

"Morning, Grandma."

"Good morning, sweetheart," Grandma responded, beginning to crouch down. With a gentle hand, she quickly shook John awake, and his movement in turn woke Gordon. By the time she had stood back up again, Scott had managed to disentangle himself from Alan and had climbed out of bed, nudging Virgil lightly with his foot. Smirking as it did nothing to rouse the boy, he then bent down himself. Reaching down with one hand, he let his cold fingers dance across Virgil's neck, the boy awakening with an indignant yelp. Standing back up with a smirk, Scott returned to the bed, just in time to see Alan open his eyes sleepily.

"Scotty?" the little boy asked, trying to force his eyes open as he looked up at his big brother. Scooping him back into his arms, Scott hugged the youngest member of the family tightly.

"Morning, Sprout," he said gently, smiling at the sight of Gordon trying to untangle himself. How he had managed to be so restless and not disturb any of them, Scott had no idea.

"John, Virgil, you need to get ready for school," Grandma said softly, reaching over and taking Alan from Scott. "You can go back to bed if you wish, dear. Gordon, you need to get dressed as well."

Tactfully not mentioning to the seven-year-old that he had no school that day, Grandma was most surprised when Scott suddenly spoke up.

"I'm going back to school, Grandma," he announced loudly, clearly wanting everyone to hear him and thus preventing his grandmother from trying to change his mind. He was ready, he knew he was. "Today."

Grandma, however, had absolutely no intention of trying to make him change her mind. Instead, her face split into a wide smile and she nodded approvingly. The boys were once more back to their old selves.


	15. Chapter 15

**I can't believe it, after all of this time, this is finally over! :'( I cannot thank you enough for all of the incredible support and reviews throughout this, I can't believe how many there have been!**

**Another huge huge thank you to Bee for being the best beta there could be, couldn't have done it without you! (Cake is on the way!)**

**Enjoy! One last review to finish us off?**

Scott found himself hesitating somewhat nervously outside the school as he heard Nicole pull away behind him. Jeff had asked if she could drop the older ones off when Scott had rung to inform his father he was returning to school. Jeff had claimed that he didn't want his mother running around too much, but Scott knew better. Jeff would be able to get information out of Nicole about how the boys were that their grandmother would have kept quiet.

"You coming, Scotty?" Virgil asked quietly, sidling up to his big brother and watching him anxiously. He knew how Scott felt. He had been terrified returning to school after his own incident, worried about what people were going to say. And that hadn't been anything nearly as extreme as Scott's reaction, not to mention he had only been at home for a week rather than three.

"Yeah, I guess," Scott sighed, hitching his slipping bag further up over his shoulder. He didn't really want to do this, wanting nothing more to run back to the hospital and be with his father again. But he knew that if he did that, then Blag would have won. No. That certainly was not going to happen. Squaring his shoulders, Scott took a determined step forward, smiling in gratitude as both John and Virgil fell into step beside him.

"Yo, Tracy!" All three brothers turned simultaneously at the voice, Scott immediately smiling as he saw Toby jogging over.

"Catch you later, guys, I've got some explaining to do," he muttered quietly, stepping away from his brothers and towards the fast approaching form of his best friend. He knew that Toby was not going to let what had happened go, and to be able to explain it, Scott knew he would have to start from the beginning. It was about time he told his friend the real reason for his initial absence, rather than sticking with the story of wanting to be around for John after his `accident'. Not to mention he wanted to ask Toby if his friend had seen anything regarding John. Not that the star-loving Tracy knew, but Scott had been so determined to get to the bottom of what was troubling his brother, even before the latest fight between him and Virgil, that he had called his friend, asking Toby to keep his eyes open and report back if he saw anyone giving Scott's little brother grief.

"He's back," John said softly, a smile playing over his mouth as he watched Scott disappear into the building, chatting non-stop. Glancing down at Virgil, he felt his smile widen at the grin on his younger brother's face.

"Now we just have to get Dad back."

"He'll be home before you know it, short-stuff," John responded soothingly, giving Virgil's shoulders a quick squeeze. As he had hoped, the use of Scott's nickname for their younger brother did the trick, and Virgil visibly relaxed.

"Can you imagine how much he is going to hate Grandma fussing?" the young artist said with a sudden smirk. None of the boys liked their grandmother fussing around when they were ill, but something told Virgil that his father was going to be worse than the rest of them. Letting out a laugh, John suddenly narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of a figure coming out of the door.

"See ya later, Virg," he muttered hurriedly, before turning on his heel and disappearing in the opposite direction. For a moment, Virgil simply stood where he was in the middle of the courtyard, wondering how he had suddenly ended up on his own. Glancing around him, Virgil frowned in confusion, curious as to why John had practically run away. As he let his gaze flicker towards the door, however, he narrowed his own eyes in an uncanny impression of Scott. Spencer had just stepped out of the doorway. Grinding his teeth together in a silent fury, Virgil decided that as soon as the boys were on their break, he was going to find Scott. It was about time someone put an end to Spencer's bullying ways, especially as it was Virgil's brother who was being affected. And in Virgil's eyes, no one could do that better than his biggest brother.

Unaware that his younger sibling was thinking of jumping to his defence once again, John navigated the corridors, lost in thought. He had been somewhat surprised by how easily he had coped without his father, but looking back on it now, he knew he shouldn't have been. Especially since Scott had seen the man and reported back that he was indeed alright. John knew that they would be able to manage. After all, they had managed for almost an entire year without him, and this time, there were several adults all aware of the situation and coming to the aid of the Tracy family. Smiling slightly as he recalled Nicole turning up at the house that morning, full of chatter about a certain officer she had met the day before and who was already promising her a coffee, John absentmindedly entered his code for his locker, pulling it open. Before he had a chance to do anything else, however, a hand slammed it shut again, causing John to jump.

"You're looking happy, blondie."

His head jerking upright again, John swallowed hard to see Spencer leaning casually next to him, inspecting his nails as if bored by John's presence.

"Leave me alone," John said quietly, making to turn away. He was not going to let Spencer bully him any longer. Not after everything they had been through. Now that Scott was back to his old self – and more specifically, back at school - John knew that Virgil would be safe. He would have both of his older brothers looking out for him, meaning Spencer had absolutely nothing he could hold over John any longer. A hand latched around his arm, spinning him back around again.

"What did you just say?"

"Leave. Me. Alone." John said slowly and clearly, swallowing his fear and meeting Spencer's gaze head-on. Whilst he no longer had to have his shoulder bandaged the same way, John couldn't deny he was worried that Spencer was holding onto that arm. He only hoped that the older boy couldn't remember which was supposed to be the injured one.

"Thought that was it. That, Tracy, was a mistake."

And before John could react, he felt himself being shoved violently back into the lockers, Spencer's hand following him and grabbing him by the collar. Pulling him forward slightly, the bully then shoved John back again, causing him to hit the locker once more, before bringing up his knee and sinking it into John's stomach. Winded, the younger of the two dropped to his knees, eyes watering. His new found confidence all of a sudden didn't seem to be such a good thing.

"Still sure about that, Tracy?" Spencer hissed, bending down in order to pull John to his feet again. The bell had only just rung, meaning Spencer was fully aware that they only had a few moments before any teacher would be along. He didn't need much longer than that. What he hadn't expected, however, was for someone else to get there first.

"Leave him alone!"

One hand still entwined in John's collar, Spencer slowly turned on the spot, only to find Virgil glaring up at him. Standing directly in front of the pair of them, the artist had never felt more furious than he did right now. When he had charged into Scott's hospital room, the fear had been too dominant for the anger. The sight of Blag suffocating his brother was still burnt into his mind's eye now; it was certainly not going to be an image to leave him any time soon. But he had seen from the end of the corridor Spencer slam his brother back into the lockers, and something had awoken in him. He had meant to at least wait until later in the day to talk to Scott, but he had seen Spencer with his brother whilst on the way to his own common room and he knew that it couldn't wait any longer.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the fiery one," Spencer mocked, glancing down at John with barely concealed glee, especially at the look of horror that shot over the blond's face.

"Don't you dare," John hissed, making to climb to his feet. Casually reaching down, Spencer grabbed John just above the elbow, thankfully on his good arm. Just as John found his feet, he twisted viciously, and caused him to instantly hit the floor again, his arm bent out to the side in Spencer's cruel grip.

"Let him go, _now_!" Virgil snarled, barely noticing the corridors beginning to fill up as people watched to see what would happen.

"Virg, go!" John practically begged, attempting to stand up again before Spencer brought him crashing back down to his knees.

"You don't scare me, Spencer," Virgil stated boldly, hoping that his tone didn't reflect the lie. He _was_ scared, he couldn't deny that. Spencer was bigger than both him and John probably put together, but Virgil knew for sure he was not going to do what his brother said this time. He had agreed to keep it quiet up until now, but no longer. Virgil was not going to simply turn and walk away when John needed him.

"So he's an idiot as well?" Spencer said conversationally, sparing John another glance.

"You're not going to hurt him!" John growled, somehow managing to shake off Spencer's vice-like grip and climbing –somewhat unsteadily – to his feet. Spencer merely raised an eyebrow, holding John's gaze for a long moment before he spun on the spot sharply. The resounding crack made John stare at Virgil in horror, watching as the younger boy's hand flew to his stinging cheek. A small trickle of blood leaked from his lip as tears built up in his eyes.

"You jerk!" John yelled, finally throwing himself headlong at the surprised Spencer. Seeing the pair of them fall to the floor in a tangle of limbs, Virgil did the only thing he could think of. He ran. But he was not running away. No, Virgil had a destination in mind as he sped through the corridors. Or more specifically, a person in mind.

Skidding around the corner, the artist couldn't deny how out of breath he was. Just in front of him, still deep in conversation, however, was the person he was looking for.

"Scott!" As a brown head turned in mild surprise at the voice, Virgil sent himself flying forward again, almost crashing into his biggest brother. Immediately, Scott's face clouded over as he caught sight of the bright red streak across Virgil's cheek, not to mention his split lip.

"What happened?" he demanded furiously, unable to deny how hard his heart had begun to race at seeing Virgil in a state like that. It brought back too many memories, memories he had been trying frantically to suppress.

"Scott, you have to come..." Virgil panted, grabbing onto Scott's hand and beginning to pull him away again. Ignoring the confused glances of the boys littering the corridor –not to mention the slightly amused looks from some of them – Scott wrenched his bag over his head, dropping it to the floor as he allowed Virgil to pull him along.

"Virg, what is it? Who did this to you?"

"No time," Virgil gasped, trying to ignore the stitch in his side as he hurried Scott along. "John's in trouble...have to hurry..."

"Okay, okay, easy, Virg. Where is he?"

"By the lockers," Virgil panted, slowing down despite himself. Glancing at Scott, he saw his brother shoot him a reassuring smile before slipping his hand from his. Scott hadn't even got as far as asking Toby if he had seen anything - he had been too busy reassuring his friend that they were all okay - but something told him that he wouldn't have to now.

"I'm on it!" The yell merely bounced back down the corridor to Virgil, however, as Scott shot off, quickly making up the distance. Allowing himself a grin, Virgil slowed down, breathing deeply. Now Scott was there, John would be fine. His big brother could fix anything.

At that moment in time, however, John was far from fine. He knew he was getting a black eye, and the latest punch had left him with a split lip to mirror his younger brother's. His fury at seeing Spencer strike Virgil had lent him a strength he didn't know he possessed, but Spencer's superior fighting skills had quickly allowed the older boy to regain the advantage. John didn't mind so much now though, not now he knew Virgil was safely out of the way. As Spencer moved the hand holding him against the locker slightly, John looked up to see the fist heading towards him again. Knowing he had some movement left, he rolled his head back, causing Spencer to miss and instead catch him on the shoulder. Pain he had no words for immediately lanced through his arm, and he knew without having to think about it that Spencer had just caught the wound. His breathing fast and frantic, John dropped to his knees again, the opposite hand pressed tightly against his shoulder, trying to alleviate the pain. Trying to force himself to calm down, John knew he was getting close to hyperventilating, squeezing his eyes shut as he forced the pain to reside slightly.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he was lying on his side, yet he hadn't even noticed when he had rolled over. With a gasp, he knew he had no time to scramble out of the way before Spencer's boot connected with him, but the kick never came. Blinking, it took John's brain a moment to catch up with him, before he realised he was looking at the empty space that had been Spencer.

Pulling himself into a more upright position, he caught sight of two figures go sliding along the floor into the lockers with a crash that went resonating around the corridor. Everyone had fallen silent, almost as if they were surprised by how furious the fight had become.

"You touch my brother again..."

Barely believing his eyes, John could only gape as one of the figures quickly straddled the other, slamming Spencer's head back onto the floor. His eyes roaming the crowd, he caught Virgil's eye as the boy skidded to a stop, an unspoken message of gratitude flying out. Flicking his eyes back to the fighting pair, John couldn't prevent his gasp of worry escaping him as Spencer managed to flip the pair of them over, landing a hard punch onto Scott's cheek. Without wasting a second though, Scott had kicked out, dislodging him and causing the stunned boy to hit the floor again.

Within seconds, Scott was on his feet. Striding over, he grabbed Spencer by the front of his shirt, lifting him slightly from the floor before slamming him back down again, hard. Without giving Spencer a chance to get his breath back, Scott had him pinned against the lockers, his fist bunched at the base of Spencer's throat as he drew back his other arm.

"Whoa, Scott, calm down, dude. Nothing happened."

"It's not nothing when it is _my_ brothers you are going after," Scott responded, his voice deadly and quiet. Shivering at the tone, John once more sought out Virgil's gaze, but his little brother was staring at Scott in worry. Unlike John, he had heard that voice before, when Scott had tried to get Blag to release him. Unable to stop the concern building up in him, Virgil took a hesitant step forward, suddenly worried about whether Scott really was seeing the school bully in front of him, or the last person who had tried to hurt one of his siblings.

"Damnit, Tracy, I can't breathe here!" Spencer gasped, clawing at Scott's hand to try and make him let go.

"Scott, let him go!"

Jumping at the loud voice, most of the students immediately began to flee the scene as Samson strode down the corridor. He didn't even need to ask what had happened. He could see Virgil's split lip from the angle he had arrived at, and with a quick glance to see John's battered form on the floor, he knew he didn't have to think twice about who would be holding Spencer against the lockers. Scott, however, didn't seem to hear him, instead continuing to draw his fist back. Worried that his friend was about to get in even bigger trouble, Toby ran forward from the crowd, grabbing Scott's arm and pulling him away from Spencer's now trembling form.

"He's not worth it. Look, John needs you."

Glaring, Scott watched as Spencer made to move off.

"You're some kind of freak, Tracy!" Spencer yelled, not wanting to admit how scared he had been by the deadly look in Scott's eyes. He had thought the quiet blond had been an easy target, but now he was not so sure. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Virgil break away from the rest of the crowd, making to join his brothers, and filled with a sudden anger, he lashed out with his foot, sinking it straight into John's stomach. Rolling over with a sudden whoosh, John lay gasping at the ceiling, all the breath driven out of him.

Scott didn't waste a second. No sooner had Spencer made to walk off again, he had wrenched his arm free of Toby's grip and thrown himself at Spencer's back, flattening the slightly larger boy once again. Before he had a chance to do anything else, however, he felt a pair of hands hook themselves under his shoulders, pulling him off Spencer. Scott couldn't help but suddenly realise he was in the exact same position that he had held Gordon in only the day before. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't wriggle free. Unlike before, however, the fury was too strong in him to give way to fear.

"Let me go!" he yelled, anger pounding out of him in waves. The hands, however, did no such thing, instead pulling him further away. Trying to unhook one of his arms, Scott didn't want to stop struggling, wanted nothing more than to be able to throw himself at the boy standing almost mockingly just out of his reach. Wondering if he had any leverage, Scott attempted to kick out at Spencer, but almost ended up falling over as he was pulled further back.

"Tracy, calm down!" Immediately falling still at the voice, Scott did calm down, but more through surprise than anything else.

"Matt?"

"Hey, Scott. Don't make another move, Spencer!" As another officer moved forwards, taking Spencer by the arm and marching him off, Matt finally relinquished his grip on Scott. He had to admit, he wasn't sure whether restraining the boy would work, he knew what the Tracys were like for extreme reactions in regard to anything that reminded them of what had happened. He only hoped that the fact Scott was back at school meant that he was coping. The fact that the teenager was still standing confirmed that. It seemed that the rumours were true, and Scott really had begun to move on.

"What are you doing here?" John gasped, accepting Samson's helping hand gratefully and pulling himself to his feet. Striding over, Scott wrapped his arm around John's waist, keeping the blond upright.

"I was already here," Matt responded casually, sharing a glance with Samson. "I was supposed to be taking Virgil's assembly later: street safety. You two remember that one?" As John nodded and Scott just looked blank, Matt couldn't help but smile. It came as no surprise that Scott was not the attentive type in things like that.

"Well, Samson was just showing us the way, and we came across... well, what precisely did we just come across?"

"Spencer's a jerk," Scott snarled, his head twisting to glare at the boy that Matt's companion was talking too. Seeing Matt step forward warningly out of the corner of his eye, Scott sighed deeply, backing down. Watching him, Samson suddenly smiled.

"Welcome back, Scott."

Grinning in response, Scott let out an explosive breath. Drawing away from John, he held his brother by the shoulders, running his eyes over the state of him critically.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, wincing inwardly at the state of the boy. To his surprise, however, John merely smiled.

"Are you?" he responded, his heart feeling lighter than it had done for weeks. Scott knew, and in true big brother style, had immediately made sure that Spencer would never touch one of his brothers again. Glancing over his shoulder, he just about saw Spencer attempt to lash out at the officer who had been sent to calm him down, before immediately being marched off around the corner and out of sight. No, John knew he would never have to worry about the school bully again. Scott's grin answered the question for him. Glancing over at Matt, Scott nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm just fine." And he meant it. He knew full well that even a week ago, he would have never been able to handle being physically restrained, yet the fact that he had barely noticed meant Scott knew that he really was fine.

"Do you want me to call Nicole to come and get you again?" Matt suddenly asked, not sure whether he should feel uncomfortable at the grins that split simultaneously across Scott and John's face, despite the fact that Virgil just looked confused.

"I don't know," Scott pretended to muse, sharing a glance with John and winking at the younger boy. "Do you_ want_ to call Nicole?"

"Watch it, Tracy," Matt responded warningly, his voice light and teasing as his eyes sparkled. If he was honest, this was the first time he had ever seen Scott happy, he normally met the boy when something drastic had happened. This was clearly the brother that Virgil had spent so many hours talking about whenever Matt was with them.

TBTB

Scott honestly didn't know where the rest of the day went; it just seemed to pass in a blur. He received several strange looks from people he passed in the corridor, news of his collapse coupled with the nice bruise he had coming out on his cheek making him the topic of conversation for the day. Not that he noticed, however. He spent the entire day with Toby, the two boys talking to depths they had never done before. Even at lunchtime, his friend joined Scott and his brothers, the younger two seeming to understand that he now knew precisely what was going on with the family. Scott found himself watching his brothers closely as he ate, trying to work out whether they were as happy as they seemed to be. As Virgil almost fell off his seat because he was laughing so hard at something Toby had said, Scott couldn't stop the smile playing across his mouth. If they weren't, he would soon find out, but for now, he was just prepared to accept the peace that had fallen across them. Even the tension between John and Virgil had completely vanished, making Scott realise that it was Spencer that had driven the wall up between the two of them.

Even Nicole's horrified gasp as the three of them climbed in her car could do nothing to wipe the smile off Scott's face.

"Your father is going to have a fit!" she muttered to herself more than the boys as she drove them home. She was certain she had left the three of them in one piece when she had dropped them off that morning. Now, however, between Scott's bruise, Virgil's split lip and John looking like he had walked into a bus, Nicole couldn't help but wonder if the Tracys could get through a single day without something happening to them.

"Matt says hi," Scott responded casually, once again trading looks with John. To his delight, he got the reaction he was after as Nicole suddenly blushed, and for once, the chatty secretary was lost for words. Luckily, she was saved any further embarrassment as she pulled onto the Tracy driveway, secretly smiling to herself as the boys voiced their confusion about the two new cars sitting on the driveway.

"What's going on?" John eventually asked, after finally having accepted that Scott didn't know what was happening any more than he did.

"Don't possibly know," Nicole responded lightly, hopping down and opening the door for Virgil. Trading puzzled glances, the boys let themselves into the house, only to stop in surprise at the voice coming from the lounge.

"Dad!" Quicker than a flash, Virgil was through the door, his older brothers following in a more controlled manner, although both boys had huge smiles on their faces. By the time Scott had stepped through, Virgil was curled up under their father's good arm, a huge smile on his face. Alan was balanced on Jeff's lap, Virgil's own arm now being what was keeping the toddler upright. Gordon was sitting on the floor, seemingly determined to make a castle of pillows around Jeff's foot, their grandmother perched on the edge, clearly ready to intervene if Alan should need her.

"Hey, boys," Jeff said with a smile, grinning up at Scott and John. Without a moment's hesitation, John had shot across the room, somehow managing to get himself on the couch as well, although how he did it, he couldn't have said. Smiling at the picture in front of him, Scott couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed, nor this happy.

"Hey, Dad, what's with the cars?" John eventually asked, after being forced to tell everything regarding Spencer. Scott knew immediately that his brother was attempting to change the subject, but Jeff let him get away with it, letting the matter drop now that he had been reassured that Spencer could never hurt his son again.

"Well, John, we need a new one since ours has been wrecked." Trying to keep his voice light, Jeff had no desire to make the boys realise quite how serious the accident could have been. One thing was for sure, Jeff was certainly going to be reinforcing his own rules regarding seatbelts.

"And the other?" It was Virgil asking this time, turning awkwardly to look at his father. Smiling, Jeff managed to unhook his arm from around his son, reaching into his pocket whilst at the same time keeping a close eye on the child balanced on his lap. Pulling the set of keys out, he casually tossed them across the room, smiling as Scott's quick reactions meant he caught them. Smiling, he raised his eyebrows pointedly as Scott turned to look at him.

"Seriously?" the teenager yelped, his face splitting into a wide grin.

"Seriously," Jeff responded gently, smiling at the look of utter delight on Scott's face. If he was honest, he knew he should have done this a long time ago, but he had just gotten carried away with everything that happened. After receiving a rather firm talking to from Nicole about denying Scott the chance that everyone else his age had got, Jeff knew he couldn't put it off any longer. Despite not wanting to believe otherwise, his little boy had grown up.

Bounding to the door as if he was no more than Gordon's age on Christmas morning, Scott paused just before he disappeared from sight. Turning back, he took in the sight of the whole of his family sitting there watching him, and found his face splitting into a wide grin. Life was, once more, back to normal.

**All done!**


End file.
